27: How to Stop Hiring the Wrong People with Stephan Schmidt

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Stephan Schmidt is a CTO coach and the author of “Amazing CTO”.

In this episode, you're going to learn why hiring the right people is the foundation of success and how to assess candidates effectively. Stephan shares his strategy for running weekly one-on-one meetings and why they should focus on alignment rather than status updates. You'll also hear about the importance of trust in leadership and practical ways to build it within your team. He explains why surprises undermine leadership and how to present ideas and decisions without creating resistance. Finally, Stephan emphasizes the value of early and consistent delegation as a tool for scaling leadership and empowering team members.

As a CTO and CPTO Coach, Stephen helps CTOs, CPTOs, VPs of Engineering, Heads of Development, and other tech leaders to master their challenges and achieve their goals. With over 25 years of experience as a CTO, consultant, and executive in various startups and enterprises, he has a wide range of skills and insights to share with clients. 

Stephen’s coaching services include training workshops, one-on-one sessions, and fractional/ interim management. He focuses on topics such as people management, communication, recruiting, leadership, lean start-up, e-commerce, and bridging business and technology. He is passionate about working with people and developing them, as well as explaining technology in a clear and engaging way. Stephen is currently coaching several CTOs and tech managers from different industries and countries, and he enjoys seeing them grow and succeed.

Timestamps:

[00:00] Introduction

[05:05] Early career and becoming a manager

[07:44] First training on people management

[09:15] Learning from a great boss at eBay

[11:05] Building trust with junior developers

[13:07] Shifting decisions to the team

[16:22] Managing through late-night crises

[18:11] Importance of hiring the right people

[20:04] Common mistakes in one-on-ones

[22:07] Best practices for weekly one-on-ones

[23:15] Aligning remote teams effectively

[25:35] Benefits of skip-level meetings

[27:12] Spending 50% of the time on people

[29:02] Helping employees identify career goals

[30:20] The role of trust in leadership

[32:22] Avoiding surprises in leadership

[34:06] Overcommitting to solutions for success

[36:38] Focusing on effectiveness over efficiency

[39:07] Writing clear job descriptions

[41:04] People-first vs process-first management

[43:06] Why surprises harm team alignment

[45:09] Stephan’s advice for new CTOs

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Connect with Stephan through LinkedIn.

Resources Mentioned:

Amazing CTO | Website

Turn the Ship Around by L. David Marquet | Book or Audiobook

Find more from Adam on LinkedIn and YouTube and check out Adam's CTO coaching company Synova Tech.