Videos

Are you a business leader who likes to promote from within, but you're anxious to do that for your top technology leadership role because it's a big step for a first time leader. You might already have somebody in your business who knows your systems, your people, your culture, your product inside out. They just haven't led at that level before and that makes you nervous. Uh. Your alternative is to recruit externally. A more experienced leader certainly, but one who doesn't know your business or your people as well as your internal candidates. This is where I come in. I work alongside new technology leaders on a part time or fractional basis, giving them support and guidance to help their confidence grow in those critical early months in their new role. You get continuity, loyalty and deep business knowledge in your top technology leadership role without any of the cost or disruption of hiring from scratch. Having me there is likely to cost less than the salary uplift and recruitment fee associated with going externally. And you get all the benefits of having somebody who knows your business intimately in that top job. If that's the challenge you face, or if doing something like that and promoting from within appeals to you, let's have a conversation. www.stepthinking.com for more information about my services through Stepthinking.

As a technology leader, have you ever had somebody say to you, surely that's just 10 minutes of a job. I don't understand why that's going to take so long. That usually means that the complexity in your technology is hidden from view. The best technology looks simple despite the complexity under the covers, and when it works well, it looks effortless. And that's what makes m people underestimate it. Every simple user journey hides hours of design, test, build, security, integration, and all of those things that make up a system, but which are transparent to the user. If you want seamless for the customer, you have to embrace the complexity for the team delivering it. So the next time you catch yourself questioning why something takes so long, remember that the easier it looks on the surface and the more simplistic it appears, the harder somebody's work behind the scenes to make it that way. www.stepthinking.com

Is Agile meant to transform your whole business, or is it just a way for software teams to work? In this video, I share a pragmatic view: most businesses don’t fully adopt Agile across every function — and that’s okay. I argue that if your wider business isn’t truly on board with Agile, you should stop trying to convert everyone and simply treat it as a delivery method. Focus on communicating in a way stakeholders understand — deadlines, milestones, and outcomes — rather than hiding behind Agile jargon. This is a short, balanced take designed to spark conversation. 👇 What’s your experience? Have you seen Agile truly work across a whole business? Drop your thoughts in the comments.

The more senior you get within your organization, the less likely you are to be able to have a hand on the resolution of every issue that comes into your teams. That's when an escalation hierarchy becomes really important. I like to work on the 80 / 20 rule. For every 100 issues that comes into my team at the coalface, I want those team members to solve 80% of them. The remaining 20%, they move up to the next level in the hierarchy, which is typically the team leaders. Of those 20 issues, they solve 80% of them. About 16 of them. Four of them escalate up to the level above, which is typically my management team. Of the four issues escalated to my management team, I'd like them to be solving three of them so that only one issue comes up to me. So by using the 80 / 20 rule across four layers in the hierarchy, one out of every 100 issues arrives on my desk, and it's a difficult enough problem that it requires my skill, experience, or seniority to resolve. There's no other way of doing it, when you get to a senior level. And as a side benefit, it offers brilliant development opportunities for those team members at each level in the organization where they're getting to handle appropriately complicated issues aligned to their skills and experience. If you want more leadership tips like this, subscribe to the channel and follow me along.

Do you need to grow your technology team in order to secure growth in your business? Either a permanent team or a temporary one, it doesn't matter. I can help you build that team and also provide leadership to them while they get vetted in. If you need the right team to succeed, give me a call.

Many technology strategies look great on paper, but then don't stand up to scrutiny in the real world. I can help you define the right path and then deliver a transformation that really sticks. I offer practical advice that's grounded in experience, not just theory. If you need a strategy that actually works and isn't just a nice, shiny PowerPoint deck, give me a call or comment below!

Every leader needs a confidante. A trusted adviser who will support them and challenge them in equal measures. Someone who's been there and done it and will tell it to you straight, without an axe to grind or a hidden agenda. I can provide clear, honest advice that cuts through complexity and helps you make the best possible decisions for your tech. A trusted confidante, and a critical friend. Someone who's been around the block a few times and knows how things work in practice. If you need somebody like that in your life, give me a call or leave a comment below!

Do you sometimes feel like you need stronger leadership in your technology function, but you haven't got time to wait for a permanent perfect hire? You might not even feel like you need a full time person. An interim or fractional technology leader can bring focus and momentum quickly. With over 30 years of experience in tech, and half of that spent in senior leadership positions, I can step in quickly, align fast, and lead with purpose. If you need that depth of experience, but you don't want to commit to a long term or permanent hire, give me a call or comment below. I could help you from as little as 1 or 2 days a month.