Forget the tech: the new rule of CTO success

Jaco Vermeulen — Raconteur

A successful CTO needs to influence, negotiate and collaborate. Time to focus on leadership skills — and let your team get on with the day to day

Resident tech expert’ no longer accurately describes the chief technology officer’s role.

Since ongoing digital transformation spans the enterprise, the CTO must forge the right relationships to get the right results. This includes strategic conversations with C-suite colleagues to understand how technology can be used to deliver business value.

Jaco Vermeulen is a portfolio CTO for consultancy BML Digital. He believes that rather than fitting technology into a strategy, tech leaders should “translate business strategy into technology and understand how to implement it in the right way, at the right time, and at the right cost.”

Of course, the role of a CTO does require an understanding of technology and how to implement it. But ultimately it is not the CTO but their team who are busy with the technical, day-to-day operational activities.

What is expected of the CTO is the ability to demystify technology, manage expectations and communicate realistic outcomes, says Vermeulen.

According to James Absalom, chief commercial officer at talent advisory firm ZRG, 90% of a CTO’s time is spent influencing strategy and driving change across the organisation. “While CTOs do need to have a tech and digital background, their most important skills are to do with people, relationships and change management,” he says.

Read more here:- https://www.bml.digital/forget-the-tech-the-new-rule-of-cto-success/