7: How Empathy Drives Change (Innovation Tips for CTOs) with Daniel Walters

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In this episode, Adam interviews Daniel Walters, a seasoned CTO coach and consultant. Daniel shares his experiences on leading change within organizations, focusing on collaboration, dynamic reteaming, and the emotional impact of restructuring.

Daniel Walters is a Technology Strategy Consultant and CTO coach based in Auckland, New Zealand. With over 25 years of experience in technology leadership across various sectors, he specializes in systems thinking, technology strategy, and situational leadership.

Daniel has held leadership roles, including CPTO at Weirdly and CTO/CIO at Seek Asia, and has consulted for notable organizations like Kiwi Rail and New Zealand Super Funds. While in Malaysia he successfully established a development centre for Experian Marketing Services. He was part of a small team at Prestariang that won a concession to replace Malaysia's immigration systems nationally (MYR8.6bn). He also helped integrate JobsDB and Jobstreet into Seek to successfully fend off global competitors whilst raising the quality of product experiences for candidates and hirers.

Daniel started his career in his hometown of Melbourne, Australia where he was part of Hitwise' leadership that oversaw growth and eventual sale (USD240m). His blog 'Great CTOs Focus on Outcomes' is dedicated to supporting CTOs' success.

Timestamps:

4:15 How to use empathy to lead change effectively.

10:05 Strategies for CTOs' to implement dynamic reteaming successfully.

15:22 Why internal hiring is crucial for fostering innovation.

20:48 Leveraging team identity to boost morale and performance.

26:11 The 90-day strategy for assessing organizational needs.

32:34 How to avoid common pitfalls in restructuring as a CTO.

39:19 Why empathy should drive your leadership decisions.

To get more tips check out Daniel's Blog: Great CTOs Focus on Outcomes on Substack and connect with Daniel on LinkedIn.

Resources Mentioned:

Six Simple Rules by Yves Morieux and Peter Tollman | Book or Audiobook

Team Topologies by Matthew Skelton and Manuel Pais | Book or Audiobook

Domain-Driven Design by Eric Evans | Book

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