The Time Horizon That Separates Good CTOs From Great Ones

Hey there,

Pop quiz: What's the most important time horizon for a fractional CTO?

If you said "the sprint" or "the release," you're not alone. Most technical leaders are wired to think in terms of short-term deliverables and deadlines.

The truth is, while tactical execution is important, it's not where the real magic happens. 

The fractional CTOs who make the biggest impact are the ones who open their mental aperture and think in quarters, not just weeks.

Here's why: Quarters are the heartbeat of the business world. They're the cadence at which entrepreneurs plan and most companies set goals, allocate resources, and measure progress. 

And as a fractional leader, your job is to sync up with that rhythm.

Quarterly thinking forces you to zoom out and ask the big questions:

• What are the company's top strategic priorities this quarter?

• How can technology enable or accelerate those priorities?

• What key initiatives do we need to focus on to move the needle?

• What obstacles do we need to remove to hit our targets?

When you orient your efforts around quarterly goals, a few things happen:

1. You simplify decision-making. A quarter breaks down into 6 two-week sprints. That's 6 major pulses where you can make critical decisions and course-correct. It's a perfect balance of focus and flexibility.

2. You demonstrate strategic alignment. You show that you understand how technology fits into the bigger picture, outside any department silos.

3. You force tough trade-offs. With only 12 weeks to make an impact, you have to be ruthless about prioritization. Pet projects and nice-to-haves fall by the wayside in favor of mission-critical work.

4. You create a shared sense of urgency. Quarterly deadlines have a way of focusing the mind and rallying the team. It's a powerful forcing function for getting things done.

5. You give yourself permission to think big. A quarter is long enough to tackle meaty, game-changing projects - but short enough to create a sense of healthy pressure.

Now, this doesn't mean you ignore the day-to-day. Sprints and releases still matter. But they should always be in service of your quarterly goals.

At CTOx, we help our members make the shift from tactical to strategic leadership. Through our training and live workshops on servicing clients as a Fractional CTO, you'll learn how to set and execute on quarterly priorities like a pro.

So as you look ahead to the next 90 days in your own business, challenge yourself to think bigger. 

What could you achieve if you focused on moving the needle, not just keeping the lights on?

The impact might just surprise you.

Here's to thinking big (and executing strategically),
Lior

Lior Weinstein
Founder & Head Coach, CTOx