Intro
Becoming a CTO is really hard.
There is nothing more valuable than a real experience, but in addition to the experience, you can find a ton of useful resources over the internet to help you get started.
Therefore we've put together an amazing list of (recommended by other CTOs) resources (blog posts, books, presentations, videos etc.). The reason why we're doing this is to help you to become a better CTO/Technical Leader in your startup or company.
If you have any feedback on how we could make this list better regarding the content or improving it in any other way - let me know!
Good luck on your path to building amazing teams and technology!
Am I missing something here?
Let me know if you have any remarks or resources that I should add here: mateusz@brainhub.pl
Basics
Want to Know the Difference Between a CTO and a VP Engineering? | Blog post
by Mark Suster (@msuster)
A few people have asked me to try and define the perfect startup organization chart. I don’t believe that one exists. Every team configuration is different. But I do have more insight into…
What does a startup CTO actually do? | Blog post
by Eric Ries (@ericries)
What does your Chief Technology Officer do all day? Often times, it seems like people are thinking it's synonymous with "that guy who gets paid to sit in the corner and think 'technical' deep thoughts" or "that guy who gets to swoop in a rearrange my project at the last minute on a whim.
The Role of the CTO: Four Models for Success | Ebook
by Tom Berray, Raj Sampath (@tberray)
One can argue that this role is among the least understood of all c-level (CEO, COO, CFO) positions in the executive suite. But given the impact of technology on business organizations over the last twenty years, it may be the most promising when considering ‘competitive strategy’ in the future.
Business
Zero to One: Notes on Startups, or How to Build the Future Hardcover | Book
by Peter Thiel, Blake Masters (@peterthiel@bgmasters)
Zero to One: Notes on Startups, or How to Build the Future is a 2014 book by venture capitalist, PayPal co-founder, and early Facebook investor Peter Thiel along with Blake Masters.
The Innovator's Dilemma: The Revolutionary Book That Will Change the Way You Do Business | Book
by Clayton Christensen (@claychristensen)
The revolutionary business book that has forever changed corporate America. Based on a truly radical idea—that great companies can fail precisely because they do everything right—this Wall Street Journal, Business Week and New York Times Business bestseller is one of the most provocative and important business books ever written.
Building an Innovative Learning Organization | Book
by Russell Sarder (@russellsarder)
How to create this culture in your organization, with detailed explanations, practical examples, and step-by-step instructions so you can get started right away. Written by a recognized thought leader in the training industry, this informative and insightful guide is your roadmap to a more effective organization.
The Six Disciplines of Breakthrough Learning: How to Turn Training and Development into Business Results, 3rd Edition | Book
by Roy V. H. Pollock
The Six Disciplines of Breakthrough Learning presents an innovative approach that accelerates the transfer and application of corporate learning.
Money
Venture Deals: Be Smarter Than Your Lawyer and Venture Capitalist | Book
by Brad Feld, Jason Mendelson (@bfeld@jasonmendelson)
Get the inside scoop on what venture capitalists want to see in your startup Venture Deals provides entrepreneurs and startup owners with a definitive reference for understanding venture capital funding.
CTO Equity and compensation at Startup | Blog post
by Tony Karrer (@tonykarrer)
A ton of data on Start CTO Salary and Equity at Venture Backed Companies.
How Much Equity a Technical Cofounder Should Get | Blog post
by Nathan Hurst (@nahurst)
Through Hirelite, cofounders often ask me how much equity a technical cofounder should get. The graphic below balances the risks cofounders take with their relative contributions to help answer...
Co-Founder Equity Calculator | Tool
Co-Founder Equity Calculator is based on almost 3 years of one-on-one discussions with entrepreneurs through the co-founders meetup and the startup conference.
Lesson Learned from Founders
#define CTO | Blog post
by Greg Brockman (@gdb)
I joined Stripe as an engineer in 2010. I began by working on the backend infrastructure: designing the server architecture, creating our credit card vault, and producing internal abstractions to make people’s jobs easier. I loved writing code...
Five years, building a culture, and handing it off. | Blog post
by Kellan Elliott-McCrea (@kellan)
Five years ago I joined a tiny site, with a struggling software product. I wasn’t sure how long I’d stay. I was coming off 5 intense years helping scale Flickr. But I had some theories about…
Learnings from 80 startup CTOs | Blog post
by a few CTOs and Javier Escribano (@fesja)
I participated in a startup CTO meet-up organized by Rodrigo Martinez, an early stage investor at Berlin-based VC firm Point Nine Capital. There were the top Spanish startup CTOs and several other European CTOs. I have summarized the notes I took.
Surviving being senior (tech) management. | Blog post
by Kellan Elliott-McCrea (@kellan)
As a CTO one of the most consistently challenging responsibilities to feel like I was doing well was supporting the senior leaders who reported...
How to Go From Google Engineer to First-Time CTO | First Round Review | Blog post
by Ian Langworth (@statico)
Artillery Co-founder and CTO Ian Langworth talks about the tactics required to make the jump to technical leadership.
Management
On Managing Developers (techcrunch.com) | Blog post
by Jon Evans (@rezendi)
I've been a software engineer, a novelist, a journalist, and a manager–and managing developers is easily the trickiest thing I've ever done.
The Phoenix Project: A Novel About IT, DevOps, and Helping Your Business Win | Book
by Gene Kim, Kevin Behr, George Spafford (@realgenekim@kevinbehr@gspaff)
In a fast-paced and entertaining style, three luminaries of the DevOps movement deliver a story that anyone who works in IT will recognize. Readers will not only learn how to improve their own IT organizations, they'll never view IT the same way again.
Tech
The SaaS CTO Security Checklist | Checklist
Protect your applications from cybersecurity threats by following the SaaS CTO Security Checklist.
Education
MIT OpenCourseWare | Free Online Course Materials | Course
by MIT OpenCourseWare (@mitocw)
OCW makes the materials used in the teaching of MIT's subjects available on the Web.
Stanford Engineering Everywhere | Home | Course
by StanfordCPD (@StanfordCPD)
Stanford Engineering Everywhere (SEE) expands the Stanford experience to students and educators online and at no charge. A computer and an Internet connection are all you need. The SEE course portfolio includes one of Stanford's most popular sequences: the three-course Introduction to Computer Science.
Team
Teammates First Deadlines Second | Blog post
by Oren Ellenbogen (@orenellenbogen)
Even though you’ve got plenty to prove, one of the things that should be on your mind when you’re managing people is how you can engage them in a way that will make them respect you and earn their trust.
Managing and Motivating Developers: Tips for Management Cluefulness | CIO | Blog post
by Esther Schindler (@estherschindler)
Encouraging productivity from your programming staff--at least in the developers' estimation--requires a few special techniques.
21 Rules of Thumb for Managing Software People and Teams | Blog post
by Mickey W. MantleRon Lichty (@RonLichty)
An oft-overlooked tool in a manager's arsenal is the 'rule of thumb'—a short, pithy statement embodying a powerful message that makes a lasting impression on the listener. Mickey W. Mantle and Ron Lichty, co-authors of Managing the Unmanageable: Rules, Tools, and Insights for Managing Software People and Teams, identify eight major management challenges and 21 rules of thumb to help managers address those challenges.
7 simple rules for hiring great developers | JavaWorld | Blog post
by Dan Tynan (@tynanwrites)
Top developers can write their own ticket in today's tech hiring market, so how do smaller operations or startups attract skilled talent? From weeding out rocks stars to mentoring on the job, hiring managers explain how they build dev teams that really work.
Culture
How To Use Your Unfair Advantage To Create an Unforgettable First Day For New Hires | Blog post
by Oren Ellenbogen (@orenellenbogen)
Even though feeling productive is a strong emotion, it is also a short-lived one. In order to create a long lasting emotion, a real WOW effect, you have to create a personal bond.
Building a Strong Company Culture, with Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky | Blog post
by Zach Bulygo (@zachcb1)
Alfred Lin and Brian Chesky explain what culture is and how to build a strong one.
Networking
How to Win Friends and Influence People - Wikipedia | Book
by Dale Carnegie
It is one of the first best-selling self-help books ever published. Written by Dale Carnegie (1888–1955) and first published in 1936, it has sold over 30 million copies world-wide, and went on to be named #19 on Time Magazine's list of 100 most influential books in 2011
9 networking tips for introverts | CIO | Blog post
by Sharon Florentine (@myshar0na)
Successful networking can be difficult for anyone, but it’s especially challenging if you’re introverted and shy by nature. Here, experts share networking tips that should make the process easier, if not completely painless.
Work-life Balance
CEO Secrets on Work-Life Balance – 10 Must Dos | Blog post
by Steve Tappin (@SteveTappin)
We interviewed many top CEOs, asking them what they do to maintain this balance and came up with 10 top tips.
Public speeking
An Introvert’s Guide to Better Presentations – Matt Haughey – Medium | Blog post
by Matt Haughey (@mathowie)
Improving your public speaking despite hating crowds
Great Presentations: Tips From Great Presenters | Blog post
Consider this a pre-flight checklist for delivering world-class presentations
Remote Teams
How to Protect Your IP When Outsourcing | Blog Brainhub.eu | Blog post
by Mateusz Warcholinski (@mwarcholinski)
Want to outsource software development for your company but worried about security? Here's how to protect your Intellectual Property while outsourcing.
The Ultimate Guide to Remote Work - Zapier | Ebook
by Wade Foster (@wadefoster)
Working remotely and running a remote team seem like black magic to many. Yet at Zapier, we've been working remotely since our founding in October of 2011. This book shares everything we've learned about running a remote team—our successes and our failures.
Sales
Jeff Szczepanski- The Developer's Guide To Running Sales Teams on Vimeo | Video
by Jeff Szczepanski (@inscitekjeff)
Business of Software Europe 2014. Jeff Szczepanski, Stack Exchange. For technical founders and software developers in general, building out the sales aspects.
A Guide to Sales at Tech Startup—Lessons from Pipeline Summit 2016 | Blog Post
When I started to do sales full-time at Brainhub last year, I did what I usually do to master my skills — I tried to find people wiser than me and copied their skills&hacks. So, of course, I started…
Predictable Revenue: Turn Your Business Into a Sales Machine with the $100 Million Best Practices of Salesforce.com | Book
by Aaron RossMarylou Tyler (@motoceo@maryloutyler)
This is NOT another book about how to cold call or close deals. This is an entirely new kind of sales bible for CEOs, entrepreneurs and sales VPs to help you build a sales machine. What does it take for your sales team to generate as many highly-qualified new leads as you want, create predictable revenue, and meet your financial goals without your constant focus and attention?
Productivity
14 super-busy startup founders share their single best productivity tip | Blog post
by Rob Walling (@robwalling)
In this post, busy CEOs and founders of 14 fast-growing companies shared how they hack their productivity.
How to Be Productive The Mindmap of 35 Habits of... | Funders and Founders Notes | Infographics
by Funders and Founders (@fundersfounders)
The Mindmap of 35 Habits of the Uber-Productive.
Other
Gitlab Handbook | Book
by Gitlab Team (@gitlab)
The GitLab team handbook is the central repository for how we run the company. Printed it consists of about 500 pages of text. As part of our value of being transparent the handbook is open to the world, and we welcome feedback.
Am I missing something here?
Let me know if you have any remarks or resources that I should add here: mateusz@brainhub.pl