#186 - The Amazing CTO's Missing Manual: Guide to Managing Tech Teams - Stephan Schmidt

“Where the CTOs usually struggle is holding people accountable. The other things are leadership, strategy, vision, and being an executive. Most of the CTOs are swamped with work from their day-to-day job."

Stephan Schmidt is a CTO coach and the author of “Amazing CTO”. In this episode, we delve into the multifaceted world of the CTO role and discuss what it takes to become a great CTO.

Stephan highlights the common struggles CTOs face and offers practical advice from his book on the different important aspects of the role, such as setting a clear vision and strategy, delegating effectively, having effective one-on-ones, and fostering a culture of ownership and growth. We also touch on the personal side of the role, discussing the importance of self-management, maintaining a healthy work-life balance, handling failures, and overcoming imposter syndrome.

Whether you’re already a CTO or have aspirations for tech leadership, this episode shares practical insights for effectively managing technology teams and driving innovation.

Listen out for:

• Career Journey - [00:01:46]
• The Role of a CTO - [00:03:57]
• The Missing Manual - [00:06:54]
• 140 Bite-Sized Rules - [00:09:22]
• CTO Struggles - [00:10:52]
• Stephan’s Failure Stories - [00:14:43]
• Strategy is for People - [00:18:05]
• Set People Up for Success, Not Failure - [00:19:59]
• One-on-One & Automatic Management - [00:22:59]
• Delegate Everything - [00:27:29]
• How to Delegate Better - [00:30:02]
• Think in 10X - [00:33:17]
• Radical Simplicity - [00:36:15]
• Managing Yourself - [00:40:56]
• Impostor Syndrome and Handling Failures - [00:44:07]
• The Future of a CTO - [00:47:07]
• 2 Tech Lead Wisdom - [00:49:46]

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Stephan Schmidt’s Bio
Stephan Schmidt launched his tech career as a self-taught coder, mastering the art of programming as a kid in a department store back in 1981 with ambitions of creating video games. His passion for technology led him to university, where he delved into computer science, specializing in distributed systems and artificial intelligence, while also exploring the realms of philosophy. With the dawn of the internet era in Germany during the 1990s, Stephan became a pioneering coder and engineering manager for several startups. His journey in the tech world expanded as he founded a venture capital-funded startup and tackled architecture, processes, and growth challenges in various fast-growing VC-backed companies.

His roles have included engineering manager at ImmoScout24 and CTO of an eBay Inc. subsidiary. Following the successful sale of his wife’s startup, the couple relocated to the seaside, where Stephan embraced his role as a CTO coach, guiding technology leaders through the intricacies of their evolving roles.

Follow Stephan:

• LinkedIn – linkedin.com/in/stephanjschmidt
• Amazing CTO – amazingcto.com
• 📚 Amazing CTO – ctobook.dev

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