Tue, 12 March 2019
Before becoming CTO at Comcast, Tony spent a good part of his career as the number two guy. At Rogers Communications, Inc., people counted on Tony to get the job done. From there, he moved on to TCI in the number two role. His innovative vision soon got him recognized. A phone call from John Malone surprised Tony. John had a problem that needed to be solved. With two weeks to mobilize, Tony brought the right people together and came up with a solution. John was impressed. About three weeks later, Tony was promoted to Chief Technology Officer. Success to Tony is when opportunity meets preparation. Steps a CTO Needs to Take What are some of the first steps a new CTO should take? Focus on your vision, belief, and financing.
CTO Lessons Learned Looking back on his career, Tony shares some lessons learned. Do you have your sights on a CTO role? Here are a few words of CTO advice for the innovator:
CTO Challenges and Success From my experience as CTO at Hewlett Packard, a CTO has a divided focus. The challenge is to find a balance between thinking of present goals and thinking years ahead. Senior leadership support is crucial. Another bit of advice for the innovator is to vary your experience. What helped me find success was my wide range of experience. For long-term career success, having a variety of experiences can make the difference. You have to step out of your comfort zone. Be willing to try different roles. Be a part of teams that you would not normally be comfortable in. Having different experiences gave me the confidence I needed to be bold in innovation. If you have questions or comments about today’s show, drop me a note. Join the conversation on this and other topics at The Innovators Community.
Five Minutes to New Ideas What is the opposite of bravery? The opposite of bravery is not cowardice, but conformity. The economy demands creativity not conformity. Five Minutes to New Ideas explores the different ways to succeed in a creative economy. Could these tips further you and your company’s success in today’s creative economy? |