The Startup CTO's Handbook: Essential skills and best practices for high performing engineering teams

by Zach Goldberg

The job of a Chief Technical Officer is broad, ever-changing, and hard to define.

Is the CTO an engineer, an architect, a people manager, or an executive?Turns out, in most cases, it’s all of the above—and even the most experienced “techies” often find themselves feeling underprepared for the human and logistical sides of this pivotal role.

In this engaging yet eminently practical book, consultant and veteran CTO Zach Goldberg shares his guidance on handling the complexities of one of business’s hardest to define roles, and provides clear pathways through the most common challenges facing startup CTOs and technical founders. From managing other executives, to hiring (and firing), to supporting engineers through critical rollouts, this book has frameworks, best practices, and guidance to help you build a high-performing, happy engineering organization.

This book is a must-read for all founders, as well as anyone transitioning from a technical or engineering role to the position of CTO. With Goldberg’s knowledge at your fingertips, you’ll soon master both the science and the art of leading a high-performing technical team.

Genres: Management, Business, Technology, Entrepreneurship, Nonfiction

276 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 19, 2023

Reviews

[Rafael · Rating 4 out of 5]

For those of us that ended up on leadership or management roles by... chance or natural progression this is a good handbook to review if what we are doing is on the right track. It reiterates lots of stuff on other documentations but fortunately it points to the correct sources, and they are a lot of them. I could've used this a couple of years ago, right now it just served as a reminder for 70% of the stuff and 30% of the budgeting, hiring things that I've yet not done.

[Tomas Dabašinskas · Rating 4 out of 5]

The title sums it up well - it's a handbook. It covers a wide range of topics, jumping between people management and highly technical areas, but mostly skimming the surface of each. I sort of liked it, even if I'm not sure I learned anything new. In a way, it reminded me of "The Practice of System and Network Administration" by Thomas Limoncelli, which I read earlier in my career.

[Adrien Lemaire · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great book, quite comprehensive. A good review, and I picked up some new tools/vocabulary along the way.

[Namito Yokota · Rating 5 out of 5]

Must read for anyone in the software world. I lot of insightful wisdom from his long and successful career.

[Best Indie Book Award · Rating 5 out of 5]

2024 BIBA Winner!

[Igor · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book offers basic, yet practical advice on every aspect of being a CTO. It is what it says, a reliable handbook you can turn to if you need advice on real-world workplace challenges.