Why a CTO's glass is half-full.

An ongoing global pandemic. A US election fraught with drama and accusation leading to potential global sociopolitical unrest. There is no doubt about it, we are living in highly tumultuous times and dare I say it, often seemingly without a real sense of a light at the end of the tunnel. 

However as one to always try and spot the optimistic ray of light breaking through the dark rainclouds of pessimism, one of the things I have been incredibly impressed with over the last few months is just how many companies have been working with and embracing these turbulent conditions and rather than burying their head in the sand and waiting for things to ‘blow over’, they have the making meaningful and impactful changes that will fundamentally alter the very fabric of their business model for the future but that will allow them to better weather the long term storm that may be ahead of us. 

Companies that are still waiting for things to go back to ‘normal’ have missed the point. Normal is long behind us.

I have been so proud to see how many of our clients took the opportunity during the first lock down to get their ducks in a row and make some innovative and progressive fundamental changes to their recruitment processes that have allowed them to minimise impact on their operations as we continue with remote working, enter a second period of lockdown and look beyond.

Furthermore, in times of rapid change such as this, one thing for certain is that technology will continue to play an ever increasingly crucial role in helping companies navigate their way out of the woods. I have been inspired seeing how business leaders have bravely and boldly committed serious budget and resource to embarking upon substantial technical initiatives, that they foresee will be their key strategy for ongoing success.

In my opinion there has never been a time when technical leaders should be more assured of their value to the market. Having the right captain at the helm of the technology ship is quite rightly the number one priority for many a company. When boards and business leaders face tough decisions over the cost cutting and the headcount of their workforce, attention turns to how technology and systems can see us through these tough times. Both as an enabler to maintain the modus operandi and also as the solution to recoup efficiencies and output from a potential lack of human input. Machine Learning, Automation and AI initiatives are being launch at an unparalleled rate. It is for this reason that Chief Technology Officers have the genuinely unique opportunity to contribute to their business in an exceptionally valuable way. Companies have never needed more those game-changing technology leaders who not only have the reactive skills required for crisis management but also the proactive vision for how technology can be truly utilised to propel the business forward during times of uncertainty.

However a CTO's success all hinges on businesses leaders and board members giving the full backing and support by entrusting their tech-captain to make the right decisions at the right time. We have also witnessed over the last few months, how some companies have been quick to condemn the state of their technology systems and lay the blame at the doorstep of their CTO but then do not bestow the autonomy, budget or resources upon them to resolve the situation.

Thankfully though, I believe we are seeing more companies sitting in the former camp rather than the latter, which means that in a supply and demand market, the senior technology leadership community's stock value should certainly be rising over the coming year. So whilst there is of course still a lot of reasons to see the glass as half empty, I believe that CTOs should hopefully feel that their glass is getting ever fuller by the day.