CTO - Driver, Passenger, or Baggage?

You are here because you want to grow as a leader.?

And maybe you have a team that you need to grow too.?

Are you technically expert at what you do but you want more, and you know that It’s not enough just to be good at what you do????

You now need to create the superpowers of communication, impact and influence in order to maximise your outcomes as a leader.?

You need to be able to talk business, not just tech.

You need to be able to communicate at all levels and be a positive influence in the business.?

You need to be able to bring your team on board and create outstanding performance.?

You need to be able to think strategically, not just down in the weeds of the expertise you have.?

And we already know that what got you here won’t get you there.?

All those years honing your technical expertise made you what you are now.? But it won’t take you to the next level.?

You need to take on new approaches, new techniques and understanding about your team, about you, and about how you fit into the organisation as a whole.?

The Growing Leaders in Business Newsletter focuses on these tools and techniques in a practical and informal way, so you can digest and implement bite sized pieces to upgrade your skills.?

The three essential areas for high performing leaders to master are to create confidence, collaboration and commitment in your teams, peers and investors, and to be able to engage, enable and excite them into coming with you on your journey.??

Each week we focus on different aspects to help you to create these superpowers.

This week we're looking at drivers, passengers, and baggage. To find out which you are...

When CEOs refer their CTOs to me, one of their big reasons is that they feel the CTO isn’t stepping up in the role.?

They are not driving change and bringing new ideas, but instead they are waiting for direction or permission.?

This might be just about OK if the business itself is high tech, but for most other businesses, this is a nightmare because the CEO doesn’t necessarily have the knowledge of what’s possible and therefore isn’t going to ask for what they need, only what they know.?

And it’s not their job, it’s yours.

Because of that I want to introduce the concept of Driver Passenger or Baggage.?

Imagine you are in a car of to Scotland with a group of friends.?

Those seats in the car all mean that the people in them need to show up in very different ways.?

If you are baggage, you can loll about in the back or the boot, not being noticed and you can just get carried the whole way.?

If you are a passenger, then you are not in control, you can be engaged in what’s happening, see out the window but you are not driving the car forward.?

You can help, but you don’t press the pedals.

You might be able to help set the direction, but you are not able to steer when the car is moving.?

Or maybe you are the other type of passenger – the back-seat kind. ? Passive aggressively complaining about the driver’s style or the route, or even destination, but not willing to step up and offer to drive.

Happy to criticise, but not take responsibility for making the decisions that take us where we need to go.?

And, then of course there is the driver.?

The one who has to stay awake on the lonely, dark motorway when everyone else can lay back and sleep as they are taken on the journey.?

They make the decisions, keep the car topped up with fuel, keep the whole machine maintained, and set the direction. Not only that, but they also actually drive the whole group of you to where you want to go.?

They negotiate the turns, the speed limits, the blocked roads and the breakdowns.?

They change direction when needed, pivot when necessary and take total responsibility for getting you to your destination.?

They are all in for the result and you can rely on them to keep you safe.?

But at the end of the journey, they are exhausted, because they have done it all themselves, whilst the passenger (backseat or otherwise) have had a much easier ride, and the baggage has just had a nice easy ride.?

And when you step up as a leader, it is no good to be that passenger or baggage, because you need to drive the business forward.?

The CEO, needs you to take control of the vehicle and even trade it in for a Porsche instead of a Fiesta.?

But, if you have not had to be the driver before, it feels awkward, clunky and scary even.?

You aren’t sure if you are going to fast, too slow, or if you are meandering all over the place.?

And of course you have that darned back seat passenger telling you you did it wrong (whether real or in your own mind).?

And all that baggage to carry with you.?

Now, your role is so different.? You maybe hadn’t even noticed before how hard it is to drive with all those people in the car making things harder, not easier. How much they criticise or meddle or drag you down.?

So, you need to have resilience, strength, and most of all a plan of where want to go, and the skills to get you there. To negotiate the bends and breakdowns.??

And you need to have the confidence to take the wheel, read the map and decide the best route.?

So, if you want to make sure you are being that driver, when your CEO asks for your opinion, step into the driving seat and drive the conversation instead of being that passenger or baggage.? Drive the change, instead of being passive.??

Help them to know what you know and take them where you know the business can go with tech.

And if you need some help in getting into that driving seat, then that’s what I am here for.?

Our Impact Accelerator focuses on getting you the confidence and skill to step into the role like Lewis Hamilton steps into his F1 car.?

With a swish and a smile, and a confidence that he can do it.?

Julie.?

Julie "Chief Impact Engineer" Hutchison

Email: [email protected]

P.S. Whenever you are ready...here are 4 ways I can help you increase your impact as a leader:

1. Join The "Quiet Leaders Lab? Facebook Group and connect with other leaders who want to grow

It's our Facebook community where those that are The Quiet Leaders can learn and share how to increase their impact, influence and outcomes – Click here

2. Grab a free copy of my leadership impact report: The Team Performance Engine?

It’s the Road Map to your journey to increasing your impact as a leader - Click here

3. Join our Leaders Launchpad? Mastermind Group Programme

This Mastermind is a selected group of like-minded leaders, in an online community, focused on growing your results.? With training, group coaching calls, guest speakers and more, supporting and challenging you to design and implement real team performance in your business.

Send me a message or email [email protected] with "IMPLEMENT" in the subject line and we can discuss how you can join us

4. Work with me and my team privately

If you or your team just need a little more one to one attention to make change happen in your business... just message and put "PRIVATE" in the subject line... tell me a little about your business and what you’d like to work on together, and I’ll get you all the details!