Personal Qualification | Staying on top of the game How to be a (Startup)-CTO

That’s me/ my journey so far ● Computer science studies ● Business administration & entrepreneurship studies ● data experts - Software Engineer ● ImmobilienScout24 - Software Engineer, Team Lead, Head ● Deutsche Post, E-POST - Director Engineering, VP Product, CTO ● Mister Spex - CTO ● Smava - CTO ● Startup I, II ● German Startups Association - Spokesman "CTO Network" ● Technology Advisor and Business Angel Education Career Side topics

My responsibilities as being a CTO ● Technology strategy & decisions ● Engineering process ● Roadmap planning ● Organisation setup, values & principles ● Hiring ● People development ● Tech projects (e.g. Cloud migration) ● Post merger integration ● Due diligence ● … Short: Tech, People, Culture, Process https://www.flickr.com/photos/ojimbo/5755042801

CTO !== CTO It’s all about the context and the situation

But there are patterns … ● It’s usually not about the easy things. ● It’s always a bit different. ● It’s not repetitive work. ● There is more work (to be done) than time (to work on it). ● …

How to stay on top of the game in such an environment?

First things first ● Staying on top of the game requires time and dedication. ● It's all about discipline and motivation. (Procastination is your enemy.)

Fundamentals

Improve your working style ● Prepare ○ SCR (Situation, Complication, Resolution) ○ Amazon meeting style ● Prioritize ○ Eisenhower matrix ● Work ○ Focus time ○ Pomodoro ● Decide ○ Delegation Poker

Situation, Complication, Resolution Used for analytical storytelling but can be also used to break down complex facts Situation: The important, fact-based state of current affairs that everyone in the room agrees with Complication: The reason(s) the situation requires action Resolution: The specific action you're recommending to solve the problem

Focus time, Eisenhower matrix

Delegation Poker

Know trends but don’t follow (all of) them Hint: Also give room so your team knows them (hackathon, research days, …)

Build your network ● … for exchange and advise ○ Communities, role models, mentors, coaches ● … for relevant content sources

Reflect continuously ● Ask yourself … ○ Do I focus on the right things? ○ What's next? ○ What's will be important in the future? ○ What are my weak spots? ● Most important: ○ Be honest to yourself ○ Prioritize Hints: ● Coaches can help ● Track your satisfaction

Advanced: How to navigate through situations and take the right decisions

Understand the physics ... Mental models help “A mental model is an explanation of someone's thought process about how something works in the real world. It is a representation of the surrounding world, the relationships between its various parts and a person's intuitive perception about their own acts and their consequences. Mental models can help shape behaviour and set an approach to solving problems (similar to a personal algorithm) and doing tasks.” - Wikipedia In short: Mental models help to assess how things work and therefore help to make better decisions.

Process of learning Situation Information / Feedback Decision Situation Information / Feedback Decision Mental model Feedback based learning Single-/ double-based learning

Mental models - State of business https://blog.gardeviance.org/2 015/03/on-pioneers-settlers-t own-planners-and.html

Mental models - Culture building https://shift314.com/how-we- do-things-around-here-in-ord er-to-succeed/ The Reengineering Alternative (Amazon)

Mental models - … ● Strategic, tactical, operational ● First Principles Thinking ● Second-Order Thinking ● Inversion ● Map vs Territory ● Feynman’s Technique ● … Additional sources: https://fs.blog/mental-models/

Finally … How to?

How to … ● Find your own way to grow .. get inspired by others but don't copy them ● Let go of perfection ● Keep in mind: It’s a marathon (continuous learning) not a sprint. ● Apply PDCA ● Hint: Combine learning which something you enjoy

Thanks for listening!

Some book recommendations

And …