12  High  Impact  
Tasks  for  CTOs  to              

Increase  Team  
Performance  –                
In  Less  Than  30  
Minutes!  
           
  12  High  Impact  Tasks  for  CTOs  to  Increase  Team  Performance  

 
 
12  High  Impact  Tasks  for  CTOs  to  Increase  Team  Performance  –    
In  Less  Than  30  Minutes!  
Most  CTOs  would  probably  prefer  wrestling  with  interesting  technical  challenges  instead  of  getting  
bogged  down  in  messy  personnel  issues.  But  the  key  leader  with  responsibility  for  driving  performance  
across  the  entire  technical  organization  must  recognize  how  detrimental  it  is  to  ignore  those  people  
problems.  

After  working  with  technology  companies  for  over  fifteen  years,  we’ve  identified  a  set  of  simple  tasks  
that  a  CTO  can  do  to  initiate  positive  and  meaningful  change  without  getting  their  hands  dirty!  

The  following  list  is  both  incredibly  powerful  and  incredibly  simple.  In  addition,  you’ll  see  that  many  of  
these  tasks  are  very  low  cost,  or  even  free,  and  most  will  only  take  around  30  minutes  or  less  of  the  
CTOs  time  to  implement!  For  each  idea  you’ll  find:  

 
Task:  A  simple  description  of  the  task.  
 
Why  It  Works:  A  brief  overview  of  how  the  action  can  have  a  positive  impact  on  
  performance.    

  Time  to  Complete:  An  estimate  of  how  m uch  of  the  CTO’s  time  is  involved.    
   
Cost  to  Complete:  An  estimate  of  the  hard  cost  to  implement  this  task.  
   
 
 

About  the  Author  

 Mat  Greenfield  works  with  technology  teams  struggling  to  reach  high  levels  of  
performance  by  helping  middle  mangers  to  unleash  team  potential,  
dramatically  increase  engagement,  and  drive  productivity.  

Mat  combines  master’s  degrees  in  both  Adult  Education  and  Organizational  
Leadership  with  more  than  15  years  in  technology  start-­‐ups.  Mat  has  a  10/10  
rating  from  managers  who  report  instant  results  in  building  trust,  increasing  
engagement,  developing  strong  team  identity,  and  driving  high  performance.  

If  you’re  excited  to  learn  how  your  middle  managers  can  transform  their  teams  into  high  performing,  
contact  Mat  Greenfield  (mat@BrilliantTrainingGroup.com)  for  a  complimentary  ‘Team  Analysis’.  

   

  Copyright  Brilliant  Training,  2017.  All  rights  reserved.    

  12  High  Impact  Tasks  for  CTOs  to  Increase  Team  Performance  

 
 
Task  #1  -­‐  Create  a  departmental  reading  list  and  a  monthly  book  club  
Publishing  a  departmental  reading  list  and  then  having  someone  host  a  regular  book  discussion  
group  is  a  simple  step  to  take  with  very  few  moving  parts.  
Why  It  Works:  Many  business  and  organizational  challenges  have  already  been  solved.  Reading  
some  of  the  best  business  books  can  help  your  team  gain  insight  into  the  issues  they’re  
struggling  with.  Reading  those  books  on  a  defined  schedule  (one  per  month  works  for  most  
companies)  provides  the  added  benefit  of  stimulating  company-­‐wide  conversations  about  how  
challenging  issues  might  be  tackled.    
You’ll  be  amazed  at  how  quickly  a  common  language  develops  and  how  it  helps  to  define  and  
guide  discussions  that  relate  to  book  content.    
 
Time  to  Complete:  30  minutes  (to  select  a  list  of  books  and  send  out  an  announcement)  

Cost  to  Complete:  Free  

   

   

  Copyright  Brilliant  Training,  2017.  All  rights  reserved.    

  12  High  Impact  Tasks  for  CTOs  to  Increase  Team  Performance  

 
 
Task  #2  -­‐  Make  a  commitment  to  share  more  
In  the  absence  of  information,  people  always  assume  the  worst.  As  head  of  the  technology  
organization,  you  receive  a  lot  of  information  that  informs  every  business  decision  you  make.  
Other  team  members  may  not  have  that  same  perspective,  and  without  it,  won’t  be  able  to  see  
the  bigger  picture.  This  can  limit  a  person’s  effectiveness.  It  takes  effort  to  be  more  open  and  
share  information,  but  the  benefits  are  tremendous.  
 
My  suggestion  is  to  start  with  board  meetings.  After  each  board  meeting,  take  30  minutes  to  
share  some  of  the  key  discussions  and  decisions  with  everyone  on  each  of  your  teams.  
Why  It  Works:  Information  is  needed  to  feel  a  sense  of  purpose  and  ownership.  Too  often,  
information  flow  stops  at  key  points  in  the  organization,  leaving  many  team  members  feeling  
‘out  of  the  loop’.  Sharing  information  provides  employees  with  context,  which  helps  them  to  
make  better  decisions.    
 
Time  to  Complete:  30  minutes  (following  each  board  meeting)  

Cost  to  Complete:  Free  

   

   

  Copyright  Brilliant  Training,  2017.  All  rights  reserved.    

  12  High  Impact  Tasks  for  CTOs  to  Increase  Team  Performance  

 
 
Task  #3  -­‐  Get  clear  about  the  top  three  values  for  the  technology  organization  
and  revisit  them  often  
It’s  likely  that  your  company  has  a  set  of  values  that  apply  to  different  departments  in  varying  
degrees.  Selecting  the  top  three  values  that  are  most  important  to  the  technical  part  of  the  
organization  allows  you  to  be  clear  about  the  sort  of  behaviors  you  want  to  encourage  and  
reward.  Sharing  those  values  with  team  members  (using  any  and  all  communication  channels)  
provides  many  benefits.  
Why  It  Works:  When  employees  are  clear  on  the  key  values  in  your  organization  they  can  make  
better  choices  as  they  look  at  decisions  through  the  lens  of  ‘how  we  do  things  around  here’.  
These  values  can  also  be  used  as  team  leaders  make  hiring  and  promotion  decisions.  As  you  
reward  these  behaviors  (and  take  steps  to  reduce  counter-­‐behavior)  employees  also  become  
clear  that  there  is  an  inherent  code  of  conduct  that  informs  how  your  work  gets  done.  
 

Time  to  Complete:  30  minutes    

Cost  to  Complete:  Free  

   

   

  Copyright  Brilliant  Training,  2017.  All  rights  reserved.    

  12  High  Impact  Tasks  for  CTOs  to  Increase  Team  Performance  

 
 
Task  #4  -­‐  Give  each  department  30  days  to  develop  their  own  mission  statement  
Simply  assign  each  manager  and/or  team  leader  under  you  to  work  with  their  team  to  create  a  
team  mission  statement.  If  you  don’t  have  any  sort  of  company  format  or  guidelines  for  that,  
this  blog  post  will  provide  the  key  steps  involved  and  a  fill-­‐in-­‐the-­‐blanks  format.    
 
Why  It  Works:  Each  of  the  departments  in  your  technology  organization  contribute  to  your  
overall  company  mission  in  different  ways.  Each  department  also  has  different  values,  
standards,  and  cultural  norms.  Using  a  mission  statement  to  codify  these  distinctive  team  
elements  helps  each  team  member  buy  in  to  what  the  team  is  doing,  engage  in  its  mission,  and  
become  an  integral  part  of  a  like-­‐minded  community.  
 

Time  to  Complete:  30  minutes  (to  announce  the  task)  

Cost  to  Complete:  Free  

 
   

   

  Copyright  Brilliant  Training,  2017.  All  rights  reserved.    

  12  High  Impact  Tasks  for  CTOs  to  Increase  Team  Performance  

 
 
Task  #5  -­‐  Each  time  an  engineer  begins  working  to  solve  a  new  story,  require  
them  to  talk  with  a  customer  who  has  that  need/problem  
In  most  cases,  engineers  get  their  story  information  from  Product  Managers  or  other  
intermediaries.  Rarely  do  they  speak  directly  to  customers.    This  task  is  a  simple  policy  and  
procedure  change  that  adds  a  step.  
Why  It  Works:  First,  there’s  the  very  considerable  benefit  of  engineers  gaining  a  greater  
awareness  of  how  a  technology  product  is  used.  This  knowledge  will  result  in  increased  usability  
and  functionality.  Connecting  engineers  with  real-­‐world  users  stimulates  ideas,  reduces  re-­‐
work,  and  drives  further  innovation.  In  addition,  everyone  wants  their  work  to  have  meaning,  
and  connecting  with  a  customer  allows  an  engineer  to  know  that  at  least  one  real  person  is  
benefitting  from  their  work!  
 
Time  to  Complete:  90  minutes  (to  plan  and  announce  some  guidelines)  

Cost  to  Complete:  Free  

 
   

   

  Copyright  Brilliant  Training,  2017.  All  rights  reserved.    

  12  High  Impact  Tasks  for  CTOs  to  Increase  Team  Performance  

 
 
Task  #6  -­‐  Assign  each  team  to  set  a  challenging  goal  to  dramatically  improve  a  
key  metric  and  develop  a  plan  to  reach  it  in  90  days  
Most  of  your  teams  probably  have  some  key  metrics.  This  task  lays  down  a  challenge  for  them  
to  develop  a  target  and  a  plan  to  improve  one  of  their  key  metrics  within  90  days.  You  might  
decide  to  provide  some  ideas  of  metrics  that  you’d  like  to  see  improved.  
Why  It  Works:  A  great  amount  of  buy  in  is  generated  when  teams  are  required  to  cooperatively  
identify  a  goal  that  stretches  them  and  then  develop  a  plan  to  achieve  that  goal.  In  addition,  as  
the  team  works  and  struggles  together  to  accomplish  the  goal  (regardless  of  whether  or  not  
they  actually  reach  it),  the  increased  collaboration  and  shared  accountability  for  success  will  
strengthen  team  communication,  trust,  and  interdependence,  all  of  which  have  a  direct  result  
in  productivity  moving  forward.  
 
Time  to  Complete:  45  minutes  (to  explain  the  assignment)  

Cost  to  Complete:  Free  

   

   

  Copyright  Brilliant  Training,  2017.  All  rights  reserved.    

  12  High  Impact  Tasks  for  CTOs  to  Increase  Team  Performance  

 
 
Task  #7  -­‐  Assign  each  team  a  budget  amount  to  spend  on  team  celebrations  and  
rewards  for  great  performance  
This  is  a  simple  task  that  will  require  a  modest  budget,  but  very  little  action  on  your  part.  A  
simple  email  or  providing  details  in  a  staff  meeting  will  typically  suffice.  I’d  suggest  calculating  
the  budget  in  advance  ($10  per  employee  is  a  good  starting  point)  and  then  laying  out  some  
basic  guidelines  about  how  the  money  should  be  spent.  In  my  view,  some  of  the  best  uses  will  
be  those  that  involve  the  entire  team,  but  individual  rewards  might  also  be  appropriate.  
Why  It  Works:  Research  shows  that  teams  with  a  strong  identity  outperform  those  that  don’t.  
Celebrating  successes  helps  to  reinforce  behavior  in  those  currently  performing  at  high  levels,  
paints  a  clear  picture  of  what  a  ‘win’  looks  like  for  the  team,  and  helps  all  team  members  align  
their  work  and  decision-­‐making  with  elements  that  truly  support  the  team’s  mission.  
 
Time  to  Complete:  60  minutes  (to  assign  the  budget  and  explain  guidelines)  

Cost  to  Complete:  Variable  (a  rough  estimate  of  $10  per  employee  is  a  good  starting  point)  

   

   

  Copyright  Brilliant  Training,  2017.  All  rights  reserved.    

  12  High  Impact  Tasks  for  CTOs  to  Increase  Team  Performance  

 
 
Task  #8  -­‐  Hold  a  monthly  meeting  with  all  the  managers  who  report  to  you  
This  is  perhaps  something  you  already  do,  in  which  case  all  you  might  need  is  a  couple  of  
additional  agenda  items.  If  not,  convening  a  new  monthly  meeting  should  be  relatively  simple.    
One  main  goal  of  this  meeting  (or  the  extra  agenda  items)  is  for  you  to  reiterate  your  priorities  
and  values.  You  can  also  provide  upates  on  the  overall  status  of  projects,  and  very  importantly  
share  details  from  executive  and  board  meetings  that  you’ve  been  involved  in.  Allow  your  
managers  to  ask  questions  and  provide  information  as  freely  as  possible.  Then  ask  each  
manager  to  hold  a  similar  meeting  with  his  or  her  team,  passing  on  the  information  provided.      
Why  It  Works:  Taking  time  to  share  your  priorities,  plans,  values  (see  task  #3),  and  progress  
helps  your  managers  align  their  efforts  with  what’s  most  important  to  the  organization  overall.  
The  clarity  gained  form  understanding  the  whole  organizational  context  is  key  in  aligning  teams  
and  enabling  them  to  work  together  effectively.  This  meeting  is  also  a  huge  time-­‐saver  because  
you’ll  answer  many  of  the  questions  that  subordinates  would  come  to  you  with  individually.  
 
Time  to  Complete:  60  minutes  per  month  

Cost  to  Complete:  Free  

   

   

  Copyright  Brilliant  Training,  2017.  All  rights  reserved.    

  12  High  Impact  Tasks  for  CTOs  to  Increase  Team  Performance  

 
 
Task  #9  –  Create  a  culture  of  ownership  
Requiring  that  individuals  own  problems  rather  then  passively  letting  someone  else  pick  them  
up  represents  an  important  cultural  value  that  is  powerful  in  most  companies.  You  can  begin  
this  process  by  effectively  modeling  it  yourself,  explaining  the  practice  to  your  team  leaders,  
and  then  in  rewarding  the  appropriate  behavior.    
This  approach  is  especially  effective  in  organizations  where  communication  between  teams  is  
limited  and  important  tasks  are  often  ‘dropped’.  
Why  It  Works:  Feeling  a  sense  of  ownership  drives  engagement  and  buy-­‐in.  In  addition,  
managers  and  team  members  that  feel  ownership  of  a  problem  will  be  motivated  to  develop  a  
solution.    
 
Time  to  Complete:  60  minutes  per  month  

Cost  to  Complete:  Free  

   

   

  Copyright  Brilliant  Training,  2017.  All  rights  reserved.    

  12  High  Impact  Tasks  for  CTOs  to  Increase  Team  Performance  

 
 
Task  #10  -­‐  Set  the  expectation  that  your  managers  hold  one-­‐on-­‐one's  with  their  
direct  reports  
One-­‐on-­‐ones  are  familiar  to  many  organizations,  but  in  some  cases  they  are  paid  mere  lip  
service  or  are  used  to  provide  project  updates  or  give  status  reports.  The  most  effective  one-­‐
on-­‐ones  are  used  to  discuss  an  employees  personal  goals  and  feelings  (yes,  engineers  have  
feelings!)  about  the  work  environment,  current  projects  and  challenges,  teammates,  and  future  
goals  
Why  It  Works:  The  understanding  and  trust  that  is  built  between  a  manager  and  a  direct  report  
when  they  meet  for  30  minutes  every  week  (or  every  other  week)  to  discuss  how  the  employee  
is  feeling,  puts  deposits  in  the  emotional  bank  account  that  pay  huge  dividends  in  commitment,  
engagement,  and  retention.    
 

Time  to  Complete:  30  minutes  (to  announce  the  policy  change)  

Cost  to  Complete:  Free  

   

   

  Copyright  Brilliant  Training,  2017.  All  rights  reserved.    

  12  High  Impact  Tasks  for  CTOs  to  Increase  Team  Performance  

 
 
Task  #11  -­‐  Ask  HR  to  administer  a  diagnostic  tool  such  as  Myers-­‐Briggs,  DISC,  or  
StrengthsFinder  
There  are  numerous  diagnostic  personality  tools  that  are  in  common  use.  Selecting  and  
implementing  one  of  them  might  best  involve  some  other  individuals,  such  as  an  HR  
representative.    The  actual  implementation  typically  involves  an  overview  meeting,  the  
administration  of  the  actual  tool,  and  a  follow  up  meeting  to  discuss  results.  This  can  be  phased  
by  team,  or  done  all  at  once,  depending  on  your  bandwidth,  but  if  delivered  in  a  phased  format,  
care  should  be  taken  to  connect  each  teams  results.    
Why  It  Works:  Diagnostic  personality  tools  deliver  three  main  values  all  of  which  contribute  to  
productivity.  First,  they  help  individuals  to  understand  themselves  better.  Second,  they  help  us  
to  understand  our  co-­‐workers  better.  And  third,  they  provide  a  common  language  for  
discussing  fuzzy  topics.  These  elements  all  pay  off  in  an  increased  ability  to  relate,  
communicate,  and  collaborate.  As  an  added  bonus,  these  tests  can  positively  impact  
recruitment  as  needs  and  gaps  in  the  organization  become  clearer.  
 
Time  to  Complete:  90  minutes  (to  meet  with  HR  and  develop  a  plan)  

Cost  to  Complete:  Variable  (An  estimate  of  $150  per  employee  provides  a  ballpark)  

   

   

  Copyright  Brilliant  Training,  2017.  All  rights  reserved.    

  12  High  Impact  Tasks  for  CTOs  to  Increase  Team  Performance  

 
 
Task  #12  -­‐  Meet  every  new  employee  during  their  onboarding.  
Scheduling  your  for  30  or  60  minuets  within  each  onboarding  cycle  can  typically  be  done  by  
whomever  is  responsible  for  employee  onboarding.    Your  role  is  to  show  up,  share  some  key  
information  about  the  technology  part  of  the  organization,  learn  a  little  about  each  of  the  new  
hires,  and  give  them  an  opportunity  to  answer  ask  questions.  
Why  It  Works:  As  your  part  of  the  organization  grows,  it  becomes  harder  to  influence  culture  
due  to  the  simple  dilution  of  your  message  and  the  frequency  with  which  you  interact  with  
frontline  team  members.  Spending  a  small  amount  of  time  with  new  employees  during  their  
onboarding  period  demonstrates  that  you  consider  them  important  enough  to  personally  
welcome  them  aboard.  This  gesture  also  helps  them  feel  like  they  are  already  a  part  of  the  
organization’s  community,  and  provides  an  opportunity  to  share  your  vision  and  values  for  the  
technical  organization.  
 

Time  to  Complete:  30  minutes  per  onboarding  cycle  

Cost  to  Complete:  Free  

   

  Copyright  Brilliant  Training,  2017.  All  rights  reserved.