The CTO Playbook

Victor Nicollet is an expert in mechanical sympathy for software, focusing on how software design can better align with the hardware it runs on for smarter, faster systems.

Build your own CTO Playbook at www.theCTOplaybook.com — the leadership platform built for the full CTO journey. Coaching, podcast, and community to help you lead with clarity, confidence, and strategic impact.

In this episode, you're going to learn what mechanical sympathy is and why understanding your hardware can massively improve software performance, how to predict when software should be optimized instead of waiting for users to feel pain, why abstraction layers can hurt performance and how to navigate escape hatches when needed, the importance of building broad but shallow systems to keep software fast and manageable, and when it makes sense to build your own tools instead of buying or using existing ones.

Timestamps:

[00:00] Introduction

[02:00] What mechanical sympathy means for software

[07:00] Building a custom language for supply chain optimization

[09:00] Real-time analysis and scaling big data

[11:00] When to optimize before pain shows up

[13:00] Diagnosing hidden performance issues

[15:00] How hardware understanding drives smarter software

[17:00] Fighting abstraction layers to regain speed

[20:00] Data size matters more than you think

[23:00] Using smaller memory layouts for faster performance

[26:00] Lossy compression vs real-time performance needs

[29:00] Structuring broad but shallow systems

[31:00] Using optimized black boxes the right way

[34:00] Where glue code bottlenecks appear

[37:00] Build vs buy decisions based on real needs

[39:00] Why Lokad had to create its own data format

[41:00] Storing petabytes for supply chain forecasting

[44:00] Summarizing the 7-step optimization strategy

Resources Mentioned:

Lokad | Website

If you want to learn more from Victor, follow him on LinkedIn.

Find more from Adam on LinkedIn and YouTube, and explore coaching, cohorts, and how you can stay up to date at theCTOplaybook.com, helping you build your own playbook for your path at your pace.

In this episode, you'll learn how the rise of citizen builders is reshaping software creation, why leadership now demands alignment over control, how to measure real impact across teams, and what it takes to scale safely in a world of AI-assisted development.

Build your own CTO Playbook at www.theCTOplaybook.com — the leadership platform built for the full CTO journey. Coaching, podcast, and community to help you lead with clarity, confidence, and strategic impact.

Timestamps:

[00:00] Introduction

[02:00] Overview of the 4-part structure in this episode

[02:54] Principle one: everyone can build — but can they build right?

[04:53] Principle two: redefining junior vs senior in a cross-functional world

[05:38] What growth actually looks like beyond technical skill

[06:20] Principle three: abstraction saves time, understanding prevents disaster

[07:08] AI tools vs foundational knowledge

[07:47] Why elite builders accelerate others

[08:39] Principle four: direction beats control

[09:23] Teaching others how to make decisions

[09:57] Broadcasting context until it feels repetitive

[10:18] Principle five: organizational design is system design

[11:03] Avoiding the productivity dip during scaling

[11:36] Conway’s Law and communication-driven design

[12:34] Principle six: measure velocity, not busyness

[14:00] The power of aligned data visibility

[14:44] Dashboards that trigger strategic pivots

[15:20] Principle seven: developer experience is now your product

[16:00] Builders outside engineering — even the CEO

[16:36] The danger of unchecked shadow IT

[17:10] What guardrails are you offering citizen builders

[18:01] Principle eight: outcomes are the new OKRs

[18:49] Why measuring customer activation changed everything

[19:26] Shifting priorities when you focus on real outcomes

[20:00] Principle nine: solve across the organization

[20:43] Rethinking engineering as a business-wide competency

[21:08] Empowering non-engineers to solve with software

Find more from Adam on LinkedIn and YouTube, and explore coaching, cohorts, and how you can stay up to date at theCTOplaybook.com, helping you build your own playbook for your path at your pace.

Zacharias Beckman is a technology leader and creator of the Customer Obsessed Delivery Playbook.

Build your own CTO Playbook at www.theCTOplaybook.com — the leadership platform built for the full CTO journey. Coaching, podcast, and community to help you lead with clarity, confidence, and strategic impact.

In this episode, you're going to learn what the Customer Obsessed Delivery Playbook is and why having a checklist is critical for complex software projects, how event storming and steel threads can help prevent costly surprises in software delivery, how Zac used lessons from government projects, cruise lines, and iPhone launches to shape a better approach to technical delivery, why a visual “subway map” model can make software development easier to navigate, and how to keep customer needs front and center throughout an entire project.

Timestamps:

[00:00] Introduction

[01:57] Why software projects need a checklist approach

[03:04] Mistakes early in Zac’s career that led to building a playbook

[05:08] The role of structure and guardrails in complex delivery

[06:04] Creativity versus consistency in engineering playbooks

[07:45] Giving teams flexibility to experiment

[09:55] Evolution of the playbook from large companies to startups

[11:03] How startups and big companies use the playbook differently

[12:58] How the playbook can uncover process gaps in existing teams

[16:30] Inspiration behind using a subway map for software delivery

[18:01] Problems Zac saw in government projects that sparked change

[19:12] Miscommunication between customers and tech teams

[20:55] How R&D uncertainty compares to building cars or bridges

[22:05] How to structure checkpoints and quality gates in delivery

[23:04] Why event storming is a crucial early exercise

[24:09] Zac’s first experience with event storming on cruise ships

[25:40] Why cruise ships are a major software engineering challenge

[26:40] How event storming reveals hidden complexity

[27:35] Importance of having business and tech teams in event storming

[28:01] What a steel thread is and why it matters

[29:12] Differences between a steel thread and an MVP

[30:02] Building end-to-end scaffolding before scaling

[31:05] Real-world example of a steel thread fixing a telco iPhone launch

[32:33] How Lightbend proved their solution in six weeks

[33:30] Why building the full system first is a mistake

[34:02] What a target state architecture is

[35:10] Why you need an incremental path to a target state

[36:05] Risks of pulling future features into early development

[36:58] Why customer needs often change during projects

[37:40] How to avoid failed big bang product launches

[38:00] How to keep the customer visible throughout delivery

[39:05] How event storms connect to engineering artifacts

[40:20] Avoiding translation errors from customer to code

[41:00] Testing outputs based on original customer events

[42:45] The importance of empirically measuring project outcomes

[43:50] Why teams must create their own processes

[44:30] How to tie product features to measurable business outcomes

The best way to connect with Zac is by subscribing to his Substack and reading his Blog.

Find more from Adam on LinkedIn and YouTube, and explore coaching, cohorts, and how you can stay up to date at theCTOplaybook.com, helping you build your own playbook for your path at your pace.

In this episode, you'll learn how to win support for a tough proposal, avoid getting blindsided in meetings, use informal conversations to map your allies and blockers, and turn neutral teammates into advocates.

Build your own CTO Playbook at www.theCTOplaybook.com — the leadership platform built for the full CTO journey. Coaching, podcast, and community to help you lead with clarity, confidence, and strategic impact.

Timestamps: 

[00:00] Introduction

[01:04] A failed pitch story and key lesson

[02:18] The importance of having a playbook

[02:55] Why great ideas get shot down

[03:12] Stage 1: Test the waters

[04:40] How early insights shape your pitch

[05:30] Stage 2: Understand the numbers

[06:00] Identify veto players and the majority needed

[06:45] Plan around timing and meetings

[07:30] The power of loud voices in group settings

[08:10] Stage 3: Strengthen your supporters

[08:50] Ask for feedback, not support

[09:30] Involve people by including their suggestions

[09:50] Win over key skeptics

[10:20] Turning opponents into advocates

[10:50] Leverage respected voices in the group

[11:15] Why being heard matters more than being right

[11:35] Coaching for executive communication

[12:10] Why logic often loses to emotion

[12:50] How storytelling wins the room

[13:20] Stage 4: Engage the neutrals

[13:50] Connect your idea to their priorities

[14:15] Use win-win framing for middle-ground people

[14:40] Avoid turning neutrals into opponents

[15:00] Use social proof to tip the balance

[15:30] Stage 5: Presentation and decision

[16:20] Call out contributors by name

[16:45] Make it feel like the next logical step

[17:00] Keep the decision meeting short and smooth

[17:45] How to avoid meeting debates and delays

[18:00] Creating watercooler moments in remote work

[18:30] How to test ideas before remote meetings

[19:25] Follow-up strategy after remote conversations

Find more from Adam on LinkedIn and YouTube, and explore coaching, cohorts, and how you can stay up to date at theCTOplaybook.com, helping you build your own playbook for your path at your pace.

Andre Louca is a former CTO who became the CEO of a deep tech startup focused on AI and computer vision. 

Build your own CTO Playbook at www.theCTOplaybook.com — the leadership platform built for the full CTO journey. Coaching, podcast, and community to help you lead with clarity, confidence, and strategic impact.

In this episode, you'll learn what it takes to move from CTO to CEO, how to set yourself up for success in the new role, what mindset shifts are needed to lead a company, and how to make tough decisions without losing trust.

Timestamps:

 [00:00] Introduction

[05:00] Understanding customer needs

[07:00] Becoming the CTO of Work Analytics

[09:00] Using cloud computing to accelerate processing times

[11:00] Corate's IP and technology structure

[13:00] Becoming the CEO of Corate

[15:00] Ensuring product readiness before transitioning to CEO

[17:00] Dealing with role transitions and maintaining approachability

[19:00] Dealing with surprises and the learning curve of being CEO

[21:00] Learning from sales and marketing experts

[23:00] Transitioning skills from CTO to CEO

[25:00] Setting and achieving continuous goals

[27:00] Using short-term goals to drive energy and performance

[29:00] Celebrating milestones with the team

[31:00] Importance of analyzing decisions analytically

[33:00] Making difficult decisions with a rational approach

[35:00] Balancing technical leadership and business leadership

[37:00] Networking and relationship-building with the board

[39:00] Gaining trust from non-technical board members

[41:00] Importance of delivering results and building credibility

[43:00] Coaching and accepting help from others

[45:00] Focusing on the business, not just technology

To learn more from Andre, connect with him on LinkedIn.

Find more from Adam on LinkedIn and YouTube, and explore coaching, cohorts, and how you can stay up to date at theCTOplaybook.com, helping you build your own playbook for your path at your pace.

Eric Johannsen is an engineering leader, author, and father of triplets who has helped lead multiple startups to successful exits.

Build your own CTO Playbook at www.theCTOplaybook.com — the leadership platform built for the full CTO journey. Coaching, podcast, and community to help you lead with clarity, confidence, and strategic impact.

In this episode, you're going to learn what cultural transformation really means and why it matters, how to spot when company culture is blocking progress, how Eric won over skeptics during high-stakes mergers, how he overcame imposter syndrome early in his career, and the single biggest mistake he made during a transformation—plus what he learned from it.

Timestamps:

[00:00] Introduction

[00:55] Finding balance between work and family

[02:10] What is cultural transformation?

[02:55] Misalignment between culture and strategic goals

[04:05] Eric’s early experience with resistance to change

[05:30] Imposter syndrome during Eric’s first job

[06:50] Overcoming resistance through communication

[07:55] Field trips to understand user problems

[09:20] Improving communication at DOMA Financial

[10:25] Building trust through consistency and safety

[12:30] Admitting mistakes and building trust

[13:35] Developing confidence

[14:10] Early career mistakes in leadership

[16:10] Integration of different work cultures

[17:10] Challenges of post-merger cultural blending

[19:00] Achieving success through cultural transformation

[20:05] Creating a culture of empowerment and communication

[22:15] Importance of humility and listening

[24:00] Encouraging participation and transparency

[25:55] Using metrics to show progress

[27:45] Psychological safety and overcommunication

[29:55] Managing risk without stifling creativity

Learn more from Eric on his website and follow him on LinkedIn.

Eric's Books

The Gods We Make by Eric Johannsen | Book

The Gods We Seek by Eric Johannsen | Book

Ji-min by Eric Johannsen | Book

Find more from Adam on LinkedIn and YouTube, and explore coaching, cohorts, and how you can stay up to date at theCTOplaybook.com, helping you build your own playbook for your path at your pace.

Sarah Greasley is an IBM Distinguished Engineer turned CTO with over 40 years in tech, known for leading large-scale transformation projects at companies like IBM, Direct Line, and AWS.

Build your own CTO Playbook at www.theCTOplaybook.com — the leadership platform built for the full CTO journey. Coaching, podcast, and community to help you lead with clarity, confidence, and strategic impact.

In this episode, you’ll learn how to lead complex tech projects without getting lost in details, make tough calls when short-term goals clash with long-term needs, and understand why managing technical debt is a leadership issue, not just an engineering one. Sarah shares practical ways to align thousands of people, how language, culture, and clarity impact success.

Sarah was EMEA Director for Solution Architecture at AWS, leading a 1,300-person team, supporting over 612,000 customers, and driving AI, diversity, and inclusion initiatives. Before that, she was Group CTO at Direct Line Group, delivering tech strategy, architecture, and £100m+ programs, transforming the business for 5 million UK customers and doubling gender diversity in tech. Earlier, Sarah was IBM Technical Director and Distinguished Engineer, creating architectures for major financial services clients.

Timestamps:

[0:00] Introduction

[03:30] Moving from IBM to Direct Line Group

[05:10] The importance of purpose in career decisions

[06:30] Handling complexity between program goals and enterprise needs

[08:00] Leading with alignment in large organizations

[09:45] Reading between the lines in communication

[10:50] Different meanings of risk in insurance

[12:00] Learning to ask better questions instead of having all the answers

[13:30] Losing technical expertise and shifting to architectural thinking

[15:00] Cloud migration challenges at Direct Line

[16:30] Building scalable cloud solutions with performance testing

[17:55] Moving away from legacy mainframes

[18:50] Lessons from working on ATMs in the 1980s

[20:00] Building future leaders and emotional intelligence in teams

[21:30] Managing technical debt during high-stakes changes

[23:00] Human capital and specialist knowledge in legacy systems

[24:20] Aligning org structure with tech for adaptability

[25:40] Using analogies to explain technical debt

[27:10] The role of allies in building inclusive cultures

[28:30] Subtle meeting dynamics and how to navigate them

[29:50] Writing inclusive job specs that attract more women

[31:10] The importance of visible female role models

[32:20] Emotional intelligence as a leadership skill

[33:40] Thinking beyond tech: money and the business view

[35:00] Learning to let go and trust your team

[36:20] Building consensus in large enterprises

[37:40] The value of “disagree and commit”

[40:40] Structural changes that enable diversity and inclusion

[41:45] Leaving IBM after 33 years and embracing change

[43:00] First three things to do as a new CTO

[44:30] Owning your schedule and not apologizing for it

Want to start a podcast like this one? Book your free podcast planning call here.

Follow Sarah Greasley on LinkedIn

Resources Mentioned:

CTO Academy | Website

Radical Candor by Kim Scott | Book or Audiobook

Disagree & Commit by Justin Kuester | Kindle

Find more from Adam on LinkedIn and YouTube, and explore coaching, cohorts, and how you can stay up to date at theCTOplaybook.com, helping you build your own playbook for your path at your pace.

In this episode, you'll learn how to shift from one-on-one coaching to group leadership, how to reduce politics and knowledge gaps in large engineering teams, how to build a high-trust leadership environment, and how to implement an open-door policy for better team alignment.

Build your own CTO Playbook at www.theCTOplaybook.com — the leadership platform built for the full CTO journey. Coaching, podcast, and community to help you lead with clarity, confidence, and strategic impact.

Timestamps:

[00:00] Introduction  

[00:45] What leading leaders means  

[01:30] Lessons from top CEOs on leadership  

[02:15] Defining a small engineering organization  

[03:00] Why politics emerge in growing teams  

[03:45] The impact of trust and information gaps  

[04:30] The challenge of repeating yourself as a leader  

[05:15] Why large organizations create communication bottlenecks  

[06:00] NVIDIA's leadership model with 60 direct reports  

[06:45] How Airbnb’s CEO manages leadership without one-on-ones  

[07:30] Group coaching vs individual coaching  

[08:15] The benefits of shared leadership problem-solving  

[09:00] How open feedback reduces internal politics  

[09:45] Why peer support strengthens leadership teams  

[10:30] Creating strong alignment among engineering leaders  

[11:15] How shared context improves decision-making  

[12:00] Why engineering leadership needs a structured approach  

[12:45] The importance of experience in leadership roles  

[13:30] How ad hoc one-on-ones still play a role  

[14:15] Transitioning engineering leadership to a group model  

[15:00] Why equalized voices improve engineering management  

[15:45] Avoiding loudest voice domination in meetings  

[16:30] Encouraging collaboration instead of top-down directives  

[17:15] Setting up team-wide planning and retros  

[18:00] Ensuring transparency in data and decision-making  

[18:45] Teaching leaders how to think critically  

[19:30] Preventing leadership silos with open discussions  

[20:15] Helping new leaders adapt to group leadership  

[21:00] Why weekly one-on-ones may still be necessary  

[21:45] Balancing structured and flexible leadership approaches  

[22:30] Implementing an open-door policy for transparency  

[23:15] Why leadership alignment is critical for scaling  

[24:00] Spotting and eliminating unchecked politics  

[24:45] Supporting new leaders through mentorship  

[25:30] Why strong engineering leadership improves team morale  

[26:15] How to prevent groupthink in leadership teams  

[27:00] Keeping leadership teams engaged and evolving  

[27:45] Steps to successfully transition to a group coaching model

Want to start a podcast like this one? Book your free podcast planning call here.

Find more from Adam on LinkedIn and YouTube, and explore coaching, cohorts, and how you can stay up to date at theCTOplaybook.com, helping you build your own playbook for your path at your pace.

Kevin Howren is the Chief Product and Technology Officer at NPACT, where he has led major organizational changes, doubling the customer base and scaling SaaS assets under management from $50 billion to over $100 billion.

Build your own CTO Playbook at www.theCTOplaybook.com — the leadership platform built for the full CTO journey. Coaching, podcast, and community to help you lead with clarity, confidence, and strategic impact.



In this episode, you’ll learn why managing change is more about people than processes; how to overcome resistance and build trust in an organisation; how to sustain momentum during long-term transformations; how to make tough personnel decisions while maintaining morale; and why knowing when to stop making changes is as important as knowing when to start.

With over 25 years in technology, Kevin Howren has driven transformative change through deep technical expertise and strategic vision. He is committed to innovation, operational excellence, and building high-performing teams, turning complex challenges into growth opportunities.

He led the post-acquisition transformation of NPACT, guiding engineering, product, AI, and infrastructure teams to achieve significant results, including doubling the customer base and increasing SaaS assets under management from $50 billion to $100 billion. He consistently aligns technology and business strategy to support long-term growth and sustainability. Whether modernising the technology stack, improving cross-departmental collaboration, or mentoring senior leaders, his focus is on continuous improvement and delivering value to the organisation and its customers.

Before NPACT, he was Head of Client Technologies at BBC Systems, overseeing product and infrastructure development and leading UI/UX engineering and product teams. A key achievement was reducing production rollbacks by 78% through innovative processes and modern technologies.

Timestamps:

[00:00] Introduction

[02:10] Doubling the customer base and scaling SaaS assets

[03:15] The biggest challenge in change management

[04:02] Why small wins matter more than big changes

[05:20] Keeping momentum during long-term projects

[06:18] Handling unexpected challenges in transformation

[07:30] The role of people in organizational change

[08:45] Managing resistance and trust in leadership

[09:50] How to navigate layoffs and team restructuring

[11:05] The importance of redeploying talent

[12:30] Avoiding morale issues during transitions

[13:45] Why rushing changes can backfire

[14:55] Balancing process, technology, and people changes

[16:02] The impact of company culture on change

[17:15] Why some changes fail despite careful planning

[18:30] How to prioritize changes effectively

[19:45] Building trust through early wins

[20:55] Involving teams without slowing decisions

[22:10] The importance of leadership accountability

[23:20] Predicting how change will unfold

[24:35] Why honesty about difficulties builds trust

[25:45] Learning from failures and moving forward

[26:58] Recognizing signs of change fatigue

[28:05] How to slow down change to prevent burnout

[29:15] Making change stick before introducing new changes

[30:25] Celebrating wins to reinforce progress

[31:40] Avoiding unnecessary changes

[32:50] Recognizing when it’s time to stop making changes

[34:05] How company culture shapes change success

[35:20] The role of communication in keeping teams engaged

Want to start a podcast like this one? Book your free podcast planning call here.

Follow Kevin on LinkedIn.

Find more from Adam on LinkedIn and YouTube, and explore coaching, cohorts, and how you can stay up to date at theCTOplaybook.com, helping you build your own playbook for your path at your pace.

In this episode, you'll learn what CTO coaching is, who it’s for, the impact it can have, and how to find the right coach for your goals. Adam Horner shares common CTO challenges, the skills needed to succeed at the executive level, and a framework for accelerating leadership growth.

Build your own CTO Playbook at www.theCTOplaybook.com — the leadership platform built for the full CTO journey. Coaching, podcast, and community to help you lead with clarity, confidence, and strategic impact.

Timestamps:

[00:00] Introduction  

[02:10] Common struggles CTOs face  

[03:45] How coaching provides clarity and accountability  

[05:00] My own CTO journey and early challenges  

[06:30] The impact of not having a coach  

[08:15] Five common CTO archetypes  

[08:30] The firefighter CTO  

[09:50] The senior developer turned CTO  

[11:00] The seasoned technologist ready to lead  

[12:20] The plateaued CTO  

[13:30] The rocket ship CTO  

[15:00] The challenge of getting stuck in execution  

[16:20] Story of a CTO who shifted from feature delivery to strategic leadership  

[18:00] What makes my coaching different  

[19:45] The CTO maturity model  

[21:00] Skills that CTOs often lack compared to other executives  

[22:30] The importance of communication, finance, and strategy  

[24:00] Coaching vs. teaching vs. mentoring  

[25:30] The real cost of not investing in coaching  

[27:00] Story of a CTO who resisted coaching and almost lost his role  

[29:30] What happens when CTOs invest in coaching  

[30:45] How coaching builds confidence and influence  

[32:00] The impact of coaching on stress and burnout  

[33:15] How to know if coaching is right for you  

[34:30] When is the best time to get a coach  

[35:45] How to find the right CTO coach  

[36:30] Step-by-step playbook for choosing a coach  

Find more from Adam on LinkedIn and YouTube, and explore coaching, cohorts, and how you can stay up to date at theCTOplaybook.com, helping you build your own playbook for your path at your pace.