Bridging the Gap
In 2021, I served as the Interim CTO for Mister Spex. The job was rather straightforward. The long-time outgoing CTO had embarked on a new journey, but the incoming CTO couldn’t start immediately, only in around six months. Consequently, I was hired to bridge the gap. I was backed by a great management team, an excellent product team, and skilled engineering teams. Everyone was supportive, and in turn, I provided everyone with stability and reliability.
Pre-Onboarding is Essential
After six months, the new CTO arrived. Before his arrival, we had already established 1:1 sessions every Friday. These pre-onboarding sessions proved to be very beneficial. I explained the current projects, team setups, future projects, and more. This enabled the incoming CTO to hit the ground running on day one.
Short Handover
Was there a handover during the first few weeks? No, there wasn’t. I provided support during the first week, but my presence wasn’t really needed due to the knowledge transfer that had occurred beforehand. Having two CTOs would have been a leadership nightmare for the employees.
Karl, the new CTO, quipped, “New sheriff in town.” Karl was the new sheriff, and I was the old one.
It didn’t make sense to have two sheriffs. His comment is a memorable reminder that a quick handover is truly essential when leadership changes.
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- Awesome photo on top by Krakenimages: https://unsplash.com/photos/person-in-black-long-sleeve-shirt-holding-persons-hand-Y5bvRlcCx8k
