ONE thing most CTOs DON’T DO, that risks them losing their company or CTO career
Network and build relationships with their investors, board members, clients and CSuite/ELT (Executive Leadership Team) colleagues.
Many CTOs don’t realise just how different being part of the CSuite/ELT is, than being the best technical expert.
They don’t often and actively build relationships with their board members, or investors, or clients or peers on the ELT.
I know many CTOs are introverts and get exhausted by people (whilst extroverts get charged up by people) and, unless they actively manage their mental energy in terms of people interactions per day, they don’t have any mental energy left to play the C Suite game.
Look at what the CEO does:
The CEO goes out for lunches and dinners, networks, builds or has built, a relationship with the investors.
Most CTOs don’t network with their investors, don’t build a relationship with them, they just turn up to a board presentation maybe a few times a year.
Often a presentation that the board doesn’t understand anyway!
Should CTOs build a relationship with board members, investors, ELT colleagues or even key clients?
Photo: Vikki Barcroft with whom I used to organise a big event for Cambridge Scaleups with amazing panelists like Arm founder/execs, Yahoo Europe MD etc.
