42:I[58016,["/_next/static/chunks/b5ea50e123aa84a6.js","/_next/static/chunks/5e17b2e37c80a96c.js","/_next/static/chunks/de880ec5a0241b38.js","/_next/static/chunks/48003610e91209eb.js","/_next/static/chunks/15a1b1fbd3cf7d4a.js","/_next/static/chunks/81ce7bf5f20dbd5a.js","/_next/static/chunks/53f751967ccc7d59.js","/_next/static/chunks/903c358828afe0bc.js","/_next/static/chunks/00da439d4db502cc.js","/_next/static/chunks/88bed98e5cd5e639.js"],"ProcessEpisodeButton"] 47:I[45269,["/_next/static/chunks/b5ea50e123aa84a6.js","/_next/static/chunks/5e17b2e37c80a96c.js","/_next/static/chunks/de880ec5a0241b38.js","/_next/static/chunks/48003610e91209eb.js","/_next/static/chunks/15a1b1fbd3cf7d4a.js","/_next/static/chunks/81ce7bf5f20dbd5a.js","/_next/static/chunks/53f751967ccc7d59.js","/_next/static/chunks/903c358828afe0bc.js","/_next/static/chunks/00da439d4db502cc.js","/_next/static/chunks/88bed98e5cd5e639.js"],"SignupCTA"] 49:I[56939,["/_next/static/chunks/b5ea50e123aa84a6.js","/_next/static/chunks/5e17b2e37c80a96c.js","/_next/static/chunks/de880ec5a0241b38.js","/_next/static/chunks/48003610e91209eb.js","/_next/static/chunks/15a1b1fbd3cf7d4a.js","/_next/static/chunks/81ce7bf5f20dbd5a.js","/_next/static/chunks/53f751967ccc7d59.js","/_next/static/chunks/903c358828afe0bc.js","/_next/static/chunks/00da439d4db502cc.js","/_next/static/chunks/88bed98e5cd5e639.js"],"EpisodeTranscript"] 3c:["$","div",null,{"className":"flex flex-col gap-2 text-sm text-muted-foreground","children":[["$","span",null,{"className":"inline-flex items-center gap-2 bg-secondary/50 px-3 py-1 rounded-full","children":[["$","svg",null,{"className":"w-4 h-4","fill":"none","stroke":"currentColor","viewBox":"0 0 24 24","children":["$","path",null,{"strokeLinecap":"round","strokeLinejoin":"round","strokeWidth":2,"d":"M8 7V3m8 4V3m-9 8h10M5 21h14a2 2 0 002-2V7a2 2 0 00-2-2H5a2 2 0 00-2 2v12a2 2 0 002 2z"}]}],["$","time",null,{"dateTime":"2026-03-05T16:00:00.000Z","children":"Thu Mar 05 2026"}]]}],null]}] 43:T543,

Many CTOs believe burnout is caused by bad hires, weak teams, or too much work.

In reality, the problem is often structural.

In this solo episode, Mike Mahony breaks down a pattern he has seen across dozens of technology organizations: highly capable engineers and leaders constantly escalating routine decisions because authority was never clearly designed.

The result is the CTO bottleneck — a system where senior engineers still ask permission for small decisions, leaders become the approval queue, and every road quietly leads back to the executive.

Mike explains why this happens, how leaders unintentionally train teams to escalate, and why hiring more experienced people rarely fixes the problem.

More importantly, he walks through the structural shift that solves it: redesigning authority through decision thresholds, escalation triggers, and clearly defined ownership so decisions can move to the edge of the organization.

If you’re a CTO, VP of Engineering, or tech leader who feels like every decision eventually lands on your desk, this episode will help you understand the hidden system creating the problem—and how to fix it.

Because scalable leadership isn’t about answering more questions.

It’s about designing systems that eliminate them.

44:T4fd,Gaining the Technology Leadership Edge is for CTOs, VPs of Engineering, and senior technology leaders who are paying the hidden price of being indispensable. If everything still depends on you—decisions, escalations, delivery, and “just one more quick fix”—this show is for you. Hosted by Mike Mahony, creator of the Decentralized A-Team Method, GTLE breaks down why high-performing tech leaders get trapped as bottlenecks—and how to build teams that think, decide, and execute without constant oversight. This isn’t a hustle podcast. It’s not leadership theater. And it’s not about working harder or being more inspirational. Each episode explores real leadership failure modes inside scaling tech organizations—dependency, o

The CTO Bottleneck: Why Great Teams Still Wait for Permission