Just because you have technical expertise, it doesn't mean you are CTO material...

To be a strategic and successful CTO you don't JUST need technical skills, you also need business acumen.

It's the BLEND of business acumen with technical ability that makes a CTO the strategic executive role that the company needs.

Stop thinking of the CTO role as the Alpha Geek role!

That is not what the true role is about.

The same mistake CTOs make about their craft, is similar to the mistakes CFOs make.

Some CFOs make the mistake of thinking that because they have an accountancy background, they are qualified to be a CFO, but actually a CFO is not an accountant.

A CFO looks at the overall value in return on investment for the business, not just money in my money out.
Aarish Shah can share more about this.

Similarly, a CTO shouldn't just look at producing technology as the entirety of their role, but producing technology in the context of business value.

Just because you are an engineer or technologist, it doesn't mean you have the right attitude, skills or mentality to be a CTO.

Of course you can acquire the right skills to become a good CTO.

Yet... to change your attitude and mentality is much harder... not impossible!

What do you think?

#cfo #cto #reengineeringleadership