CTO Series: From Team Lead to CEO, Leadership Challenges and Growth with Alex Schladebeck In this BONUS episode, we hear from Alex Schladebeck, CEO and Quality Advocate at BREDEX GmbH. Alex shares her journey from testing and consultancy to becoming a CEO, offering valuable insights into agile leadership, the importance of communication, and the evolving landscape of technology and quality in software development. The Power of Communication in Leadership "Communication isn't just part of the work; it is the work." Alex reflects on her career, emphasizing that her approach to leadership isn't defined by a single moment but by recurring patterns where communication played a crucial role. She shares how continuous conversation is vital for navigating changes and resolving conflicts, underscoring the importance of keeping communication channels open to manage the evolving demands of the tech industry. "Effective leadership hinges on continuous conversations. Make communication the core of your leadership practice." Aligning Tech Strategy with Business Goals "We need to balance the excitement of new technology with what the customer truly needs." Alex discusses the importance of aligning tech strategies with broader business objectives while maintaining agility. She shares her experience with implementing OKRs (Objective-Key Results) to bridge the gap between engineering teams and business leaders. By using short cycles for experimentation and decision-making, her team remains flexible and responsive to change without becoming reactive. "Use OKRs and short cycles to keep your tech strategy aligned with business goals, ensuring adaptability without sacrificing focus." Fostering Collaboration Between Tech and Business Units "Stepping outside your own perspective is key to understanding what’s critical for both the business and the customer." Collaboration between tech and business units is essential, and Alex highlights strategies that have helped her foster this collaboration. By encouraging teams to consider different perspectives, especially when making decisions that affect customers, Alex ensures that her team remains aligned with the business’s critical needs. "Take different perspectives into account during decision-making to ensure alignment between tech and business objectives." The Role of Experimentation in Roadmapping "Little experiments can lead to big innovations if we collaborate with customers early on." Alex shares her approach to roadmapping by incorporating small experiments to explore new ideas. These experiments often involve pilot projects with customers, allowing her team to test and iterate on new technologies before full-scale implementation. This method helps maintain a balance between stability in ongoing projects and innovation. "Incorporate small experiments into your roadmap to innovate while maintaining stability in ongoing projects." Overcoming Challenges in Leadership Transition "Stepping up from a team lead to CEO is about learning to take responsibility and adapt." One of the biggest challenges Alex faced was transitioning from a team lead to a CEO. With the guidance of her co-CEO and mentor, she learned to navigate this complex role without a clear guidebook, focusing on transparency, reflection, and adaptability as key leadership traits. "Reflect on your decisions and be transparent with your team to navigate the challenges of leadership transitions." Building Empathy Between Leaders and Teams "Leaders are people too, and sharing our decision-making processes helps build trust." Alex stresses the importance of creating empathy between leaders and their teams by being transparent about decision-making processes. She believes that while transparency doesn’t eliminate conflict or disappointment, it fosters a better understanding of the context behind decisions, helping teams to navigate challenges together. "Build empathy by sharing your decision-making process, but be prepared for conflict—it’s part of leadership." Embracing AI and Its Future Impact Alex shares her perspective on the rise of AI and its potential to transform software and product development. While she recognizes the opportunities AI presents, she emphasizes the need to remain focused on human-centric development, ensuring that technology serves to enhance, rather than replace, the human element in quality and product development. "As AI evolves, keep your focus on human-centric development to ensure technology enhances, rather than replaces, human contributions." Measuring Success with Meaningful KPIs "Numbers are useful, but context is crucial." Alex discusses her cautious approach to KPIs, emphasizing that while metrics like the DORA metrics are valuable, they must be interpreted within the right context. She shares an example of how a clear KPI—reducing escalation meetings—helped turn around a troubled project by focusing on the underlying issues rather than just the numbers. "Use KPIs to guide your decisions, but always consider the context behind the numbers to drive meaningful change." Staying Updated and Informed "I delegate much of the learning to my team, but I remain curious and engaged." To stay current with industry trends and best practices, Alex relies on a flat organizational structure where team leads are empowered to stay updated. She also participates in conference watch parties, engages in Slack groups, and pairs with colleagues to learn new technologies firsthand, fostering a culture of continuous learning. "Empower your team to stay informed, but stay curious and engaged in the learning process." Influential Reads for Leadership "We work with humans in socio-technical systems, and it's important to understand both the technical and human aspects." Alex shares some of the books that have influenced her leadership approach, including "How to Talk So Kids Will Listen & Listen So Kids Will Talk," "Radical Candor," and "Never Split the Difference." These books have helped her navigate the complex, human-centric aspects of leadership in technical environments. "Combine technical know-how with human understanding—books like 'Radical Candor' offer valuable insights for leaders." [IMAGE HERE] Are you having trouble helping the team work well with their Product Owner? We’ve put together a course to help you work on the collaboration team-product owner. You can find it at bit.ly/coachyourpo. 18 modules, 8+ hours of modules with tools and techniques that you can use to help teams and PO’s collaborate.   About Alex Schladebeck Alex Schladebeck is the CEO and Quality Advocate at BREDEX GmbH. She is an agile leader with a passion for quality and human-centric development. With a rich background in testing, product ownership, and consultancy, Alex now focuses on strategy, team coaching, and customer communication. A frequent speaker at Agile events, she was named the Most Influential Agile Testing Professional Person in 2018. Outside of work, she enjoys sports, music, and exploring new cultures. To learn more about Alex Schladebeck and follow her work, visit BREDEX GmbH and Schladebeck.de.  You can link with Alex Schladebeck on LinkedIn.

Tricia Broderick, a seasoned tech leader with over 25 years in software development and co-author of 'Lead Without Blame,' candidly discusses her journey from micromanaging to empowering her team. She reflects on her 'red-pen apology,' a pivotal moment that shifted her approach to leadership. The conversation delves into the importance of psychological safety and resilience in team dynamics, emphasizing the necessity of vulnerability and trust. Tricia also highlights vital performance indicators for success in tech, transforming how leaders can grow and support their teams.

In this episode, Santeri Kangas, a seasoned CTO and CISO, explores the complexities of leading tech organizations through various stages of growth. Santeri shares his journey from a developer to an influential leader in cybersecurity, AI, and cloud transformation, offering valuable lessons on scaling businesses, aligning technology with business goals, and fostering collaborative teams. From Developer to Leader: Santeri's Evolution in Technology "I grew into what I am through a series of pivotal moments, each shaping my approach to leadership and technology." Santeri began his career as a developer, gradually advancing to roles such as architect, and eventually leading large-scale cybersecurity operations at F-Secure. He reflects on the challenges of dealing with exponential growth in malware, which pushed him to develop innovative, algorithm-driven solutions. This early experience highlighted the importance of integrating technology with broader business goals and set the foundation for his leadership philosophy. "Leadership in tech is about growing with the challenges and continuously adapting your approach to meet evolving needs." Scaling Startups: Building the Right Team for Success "In startups, the marketing message often races ahead of the product. The key is getting the right people on the bus to bring those visions to life." Santeri discusses the transition from large enterprises to the fast-paced world of startups. He emphasizes the importance of assembling a core team with diverse skills and a shared vision. By fostering strong communication and collaboration among product managers, architects, and R&D teams, Santeri believes that even the most ambitious startup goals can be achieved. "Success in scaling comes from a solid core team that communicates well and drives the vision forward." Balancing Technology and Business Objectives "The CTO's role is to be the moderator, ensuring that technology strategies align with business goals without compromising on innovation." One of the biggest challenges Santeri faces as a CTO is balancing technological innovation with the pressing demands of business growth. He describes the critical role of the CTO in maintaining this balance, ensuring that investments in new features, quality, and architectural improvements are aligned with the company's strategic objectives. Santeri also outlines the processes he uses, such as product portfolio steering groups and quarterly business reviews, to manage these competing priorities effectively. "A successful CTO balances innovation with business needs, ensuring that both thrive together." The Power of Automation in Scaling Operations "Lazy engineers are the best engineers—automate every step to maintain focus on real innovation." As companies grow, maintaining agility while scaling operations becomes increasingly challenging. Santeri advocates for the extensive use of automation, particularly in CI/CD pipelines, to reduce repetitive tasks and ensure that teams can focus on high-value work. He shares insights on transforming traditional teams into full DevOps teams, capable of managing multiple customer environments with efficiency. "Automate relentlessly to free up your team for the innovation that drives your business forward." Collaboration and Decision-Making in Growing Organizations "It's all about people—how they communicate, collaborate, and respect each other's roles." Santeri emphasizes the importance of collaboration in decision-making processes within growing organizations. He describes how the structure of decision-making evolves as companies scale, from a small core team to complex, multi-layered organizations. By setting up regular synchronization points and ensuring that decision-making bodies, such as product and portfolio steering groups, are well-informed and collaborative, Santeri ensures that the organization stays aligned with its strategic goals. "Effective collaboration is the backbone of decision-making in any growing organization." About Santeri Kangas Santeri drives enterprise value by leveraging the latest technologies and creating passionate teams. As an entrepreneurial CTO, CISO, and European regional CEO, he excels in cybersecurity, AI, and cloud transformation. Santeri is also a World Economic Forum Global AI Council member and leads CUJO AI in securing connected experiences. You can link with Santeri Kangas on LinkedIn.

Andrea Goulet, an innovative software executive, aims to transform the tech industry by prioritizing empathy as a core technical skill. She shares how empathy can reshape leadership, enhance collaboration, and foster innovation in software development. Through personal stories, Andrea discusses the importance of understanding mental models and developing communication strategies. She advocates for a cultural shift towards empathy to navigate complex challenges, ultimately illustrating how effective communication can turn conflict into collaboration.

Alexander Grosse, the Chief Product and Technology Officer at Veo, shares his journey from engineering to leadership, addressing the importance of integrating product and engineering functions. He discusses the inefficiencies of traditional models and advocates for a cohesive team approach to enhance collaboration. Grosse highlights AI's transformative role in software development, emphasizing the value of human creativity. Finally, he explores strategies for aligning business and technology to improve product management and customer retention.

Jeff Gothelf, a product management expert and author, dives into the transformative power of customer-focused OKRs in this engaging discussion. He highlights the shift from measuring outputs to thriving outcomes that truly reflect customer needs. Jeff shares insights on overcoming organizational challenges and embracing a culture of experimentation to foster innovation. With a background in Lean UX, he emphasizes the importance of understanding real customer problems in setting effective objectives. Tune in for valuable strategies to enhance collaboration and agility!

Pooja Gupta: The Role of Business Knowledge in Effective Product Ownership Read the full Show Notes and search through the world’s largest audio library on Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes. The Great Product Owner: Empowering Teams with a Clear Product Vision Pooja shares an inspiring story of a Product Owner who turned a struggling team around by focusing on the product vision and applying models like SCARF and the Five Dysfunctions model. This Product Owner’s approach not only clarified the team’s goals but also empowered the team to take ownership of the product’s short and long-term success.    The Bad Product Owner: Escaping the JIRA Secretary Syndrome Pooja discusses a common anti-pattern where Product Owners become "JIRA secretaries," focusing on backlog management rather than being involved in business decisions. She explains how this lack of business knowledge can turn Product Owners into bottlenecks, hindering team progress. Pooja emphasizes the need for Product Owners to have a deep understanding of the business and to bring a clear vision for the product. What are the dangers of having a Product Owner who isn’t aligned with the business, and how can you avoid this anti-pattern? Listen in to find out!    [IMAGE HERE] Are you having trouble helping the team work well with their Product Owner? We’ve put together a course to help you work on the collaboration team-product owner. You can find it at bit.ly/coachyourpo. 18 modules, 8+ hours of modules with tools and techniques that you can use to help teams and PO’s collaborate.   About Pooja Gupta Pooja is an Agile Coach at Visma Solutions and Agile Community Lead for Visma Group. With a passion for "limitless learning" and "selfless teaching," she brings empathy and a people-centric approach to her work and everyday life. Based in Helsinki for 9 years, she finds balance through yoga, meditation, and family life. You can link with Pooja Gupta on LinkedIn.

Pooja Gupta, an expert in aligning agile teams with business goals, emphasizes the need for clarity in achieving success. She discusses how confusion arises in the absence of clear direction and shares practical tips for continuous discovery. Pooja advocates for the innovative approach of rotating retrospective facilitators, boosting team engagement and ownership. She provides resources like the Shape-Up methodology and highlights the importance of tailoring agile strategies to enhance collaboration and decision-making within teams.

Pooja Gupta, an Agile Coach and Agile Community Lead at Visma Solutions, emphasizes the crucial role of empathy in change management. She argues that the challenge lies not in the change itself but in how it's communicated, sharing compelling stories of contrasting company responses to layoffs. Pooja provides actionable strategies to normalize change, express fears, and utilize the SCARF model. Her insights prompt a shift towards compassionate communication to better support teams during transitions.

Pooja Gupta, an expert in agile methodologies, discusses the significance of aligning team members' strengths to enhance project success. She shares insights on how misalignment can lead to conflict, emphasizing the need for effective communication. Pooja introduces the Shape-Up methodology as a solution to navigate these challenges and enhances team collaboration. Additionally, she highlights the GROW model for conflict management and the impact of self-awareness on team dynamics, illustrating how a non-judgmental approach can transform team interactions.