What does it take to transition from VP Engineering to Chief Technology Officer in today’s business environment? I asked the experts – four recently elevated CTOs – about the step changes required. Anton Jefcoate, CTO of Lyst, David Jensen, CTO of Photobox Group, Bernie Miles, CTO of PPRO, and Yaron Shaer, CTO of Klarna, shared their top tips for those taking on the CTO role or aspiring to do so.

Top CTO transition tips

1. Acknowledge imposter syndrome

Imposter syndrome can be both a hinderance and a useful tool for a newly promoted executive. Remember that you’ve been promoted because you have the ability to do the role, but also recognise what you still have to learn. “The biggest battle for me has been imposter syndrome,” admits Anton Jefcoate. “I like it, as it keeps you humble and keeps you honest. But it’s a nightmare if you don’t know how to manage it, particularly in the early stages. It initially stopped me being as effective as I could’ve been.”

Feeling like an imposter can be particularly problematic for internally promoted CTOs. “As a step-up candidate, I was conscious that other people knew it,” recalls David Jensen. “I sat back a little at first to understand what the new role was, and how I could bring the right level of engagement to broader topics and present what I was doing in a way that a more senior audience would understand.”

The best way to manage imposter syndrome is to check in and analyse yourself and your performance, both the good and bad, advises Jefcoate. “Understand your strength profile and personality spikes, and what you need support on. One of the things that’s effective in building trust is being knowledgeable about when you should step in and when you should step off.”

2. Learn the business

As part of the executive committee, you’ll be expected to have a working knowledge of more than just the technical aspects of the business, in order to contribute to management decisions, says Jensen. “A VP of Engineering is deep in technology products and their design. Then as CTO you’re suddenly sitting alongside the COO who runs factories and the CHRO who’s managing the people function. It’s a much broader set of topics to get your head around.

“I was suddenly exposed to topics that I had been aware of before but hadn’t been part of the decision-making process,” adds Yaron Shaer. “Things like funding rounds, sales and pricing strategy and customer relations. I had been an engineering leader for all of my career. Then to be expected to not just understand topics such as business, product, marketing and finance, but to also contribute at that level, was a challenge.”

New CTOs also have to recognise when certain areas need to be prioritised over others. “Understanding commercial is important as you need to make sure you can help drive direct revenue contribution and impact,” emphasises Bernie Miles.

3. Be able to explain the tech

One of the biggest changes for former Engineering VPs is that they are no longer dealing predominantly with technical experts. Whether to the board, the exec, or external stakeholders, the CTO must be able to outline the company’s technical strategy to non-technical people in order to support top level decision-making. “I’ve always been quite good at explaining tech to people that don’t understand tech, but there’s definitely a skill to it,” says Jensen.

“Pitching your information at the right level is important, depending on who you’re speaking to,” agrees Jefcoate. “I now have peers that operate all the way through from hyper-strategic to granular detail, so I flex my approach and delivery depending on the audience and how much detail they would like – but always present it as a discussion or debate and seek early feedback.”

4. Have a strategy

As the technology leader, you need to demonstrate where you’re heading, and the new perspective you’re bringing to the role, and your technical strategy in order to take your team and the business with you. “Once I sat down and started writing a new three-year strategy, it clicked in the context of the new role,” says Jensen. “That was the point that I was no longer working on other people’s strategy and processes. By the end of the first six months, I was defining how it would come together. This allowed me to set the direction for the next three years and support people to co-create and deliver it.”

The tech strategy is a core pillar of the overall business strategy, and can’t be drawn up in a silo, however. “Always think of the business value of what you’re doing and how technology can help. A business mindset is critical,” says Shaer.

Having the rest of the leadership team on board at an early stage is also critical in implementing any new strategy. “To get input and buy-in for what you want to do, you need to road test with people and make sure it’s aligned with the wider strategic objectives,” adds Miles.

5. Focus on your team

Surrounding yourself with a set of competent, motivated people will make the step-change to CTO easier, so prioritise building a team that complements your own skill set. “Make sure you have a strong people focus – whether dealing with underperformance, growing people in the organisation, or hiring top talent,” says Jensen. “It’s such an important part of being a senior leader. You have to be comfortable in finding talent in areas you have less skill in.”

Shaer agrees: “One thing I needed to learn more about was identifying the right people for the right positions and elevating them with the right level of autonomy and responsibility. You need support in key areas to perform and need to be able to trust the people beneath you and know what they’re good and not good at.”

6. Connect with the executive committee

Working with the executive committee is unknown territory for most Engineering VPs, but it’s a crucial part of the CTO role. Forging productive relationships is therefore a primary goal. “I have tried to be an enabling CTO,” explains Shaer. “I don’t just look at my area, I look at the CFO’s area, for example, and how I can make it better – what can they automate or enable with technology? How can I make other members of the exec more efficient? I picked a few things that I thought were meaningful to them, their areas and the company, and consciously and proactively engaged.”

Interacting outside of scheduled executive meetings will also help to cement executive partnerships. “I make sure I have regular catch ups with other members of the exec to understand their world and get their perspective on the broader set of topics. The Chief Product Officer relationship is key – we’re very much partnered up in terms of value creation,” says Jensen.

Meanwhile, for Jefcoate, connecting with the Chief People Officer has been critical. “Engineering forms a large part of most organisations which have technology at the heart. From a talent perspective, there are often niche needs and it is harder to manage and more competitive in the marketplace.”

7. Build your backup network

An external support network is vital for a new CTO, when they need sounding boards, advice, and help in getting their tech strategy on track. Ideally, aspiring CTOs should start forming their network before they step into the role. “Having a network coming into a company can be massively valuable. I added value as CTO by leveraging my network, knowing who to hire and which consultancies do what best – who to ask about new challenges,” says Miles.

However, he adds, on becoming CTO, the makeup of his network had to evolve. “I previously had a network of peers within the company who could push me forward and I could learn from. But when you’re the most senior person in technology, you don’t have that same network in the company, so you have to seek them outside.”

And the CTO network doesn’t need to be solely composed of technical experts – cast your net wide. “It’s important wherever you work to look at who you work with and think about the different ways people operate. What do you respect about certain people? Observe the ways other people work that you would love to learn more about and have as a toolset yourself,” recommends Jefcoate. “There’s no harm in asking those people for coaching and advice. Reach out and find a leader who exhibits behaviours that you haven’t got and see if they’ll work with you to improve your skillset.”