Most CTOs are promoted for technical judgment, then get stuck trying to lead people with the same playbook that got them there.

Build your own CTO Playbook at www.theCTOplaybook.com — the leadership platform built for the full CTO journey. Coaching, podcast, and community to help you lead with clarity, confidence, and strategic impact.

Ric Hill has spent 14 years running Ghyston with his wife, CTO'd for startups and mid-corporates, and earned a spot on the CTO Craft 100. His central conviction is that there is no playbook worth following blindly.

Most CTOs are promoted on technical skill and then judged on leadership. The reflex is to import what worked last time. Ric argues that reflex is the problem.

What replaces the playbook is a sharper version of listening, knowing how long your "fresh eyes" window actually lasts, reading the difference between an unhealthy political culture and an unhealthy apathetic one, and noticing which person on your team has gone quiet.

This is a conversation about staying flexible without being indecisive, and delivering results without forcing a template onto a situation that doesn't fit it.

You’ll Learn:

[00:00] Introduction

[11:29] Why bespoke beats cookie-cutter software

[13:50] The first few weeks decide everything

[16:23] How long until you're part of the furniture

[18:19] Health versus outcomes in tech leadership

[20:21] The sticky note roadmap that changes everything

[25:38] Disagree and commit without losing trust

[28:40] When stubbornness becomes a liability

[30:35] Listen for the silences in your team

[32:59] Why engineering culture can stand apart

[40:20] The one tip every new CTO needs

Check out Ghyston for your software development needs.

Find more from Ric on LinkedIn.

Listen to Ric’s podcast, Giant Minds: From The Bristol Tech Community, on Spotify or Apple.

Find more from Adam on LinkedIn and YouTube, and explore coaching, cohorts, and how you can stay up to date at theCTOplaybook.com, helping you build your own playbook for your path at your pace.