This week is probably the most CTO-like profile of a week I’ve had in a while. Covering all business areas and also finding some time for a bit of personal growth along the way.

  • - I started the week back wearing my portfolio hat. Planning the next publication of our Portfolio Radar (product catalog). This is always a fun time for me because I get to speak to all the product managers and find out what new things are coming on the roadmaps of each area and how discussions about how they all fit together. It’s bit of a time commitment to keep this content fresh but really it’s really just an output and it’s the conversations and the alignment that are the real value.

  • 🌱 - The company is investing some more time and money in an executive leadership programme for all of our senior leaders in the business. This is important because there is a wide range of experience with the group, some having been senior leaders for a long time and others reasonably new to this level of role. As part of the programme each person starts with a 1:1 session, and I had mine this week. I’ve had the privilege of working with some great executive coaches over the years and I have high hopes for this one. Despite my experience of coaching, I always find something to take away and reflect on, so hopefully this is something we can continue.

  • 📈 - Being a few months before our new financial year, it means that budget season has started. This week focusing on costs. Lots of detail, big spreadsheets and planning. Actions already to take away before the new year starts.

  • 📄 - Project-R2 continues to progress, albeit, in the fine grained detail of contracts. Lots discussions over wording, discussions over scenarios, SLAs, implications. For most folks, the contracting stage is the boring bit, but for me it’s something I actually enjoy. It’s like a tabletop exercise for the service. What could go wrong? What does this measure incentivise? Does this wording allow either party to abuse the contract? What does this schedule tell you about their previous experiences? Fun.

📈 - This weeks stats:

  • 479 minutes of podcasts
  • 4,314 average weekly steps
  • 83 book pages read (Little Brother - p139-p222)

📺 - This weeks background entertainment: