FAQs from Coaching Technical Leadership

Overview
A blog post by Kellan Elliott-McCrea that shares the most common questions and assertions he encounters while coaching technical leadership teams. He reflects on his sabbatical and distills advice on roles, goal setting, hiring, team organization, culture, and measurable progress.

Key Takeaways

• The distinction between CTO and VPE is often blurred; effective technical leadership requires unified responsibility for both technology and people.
• Lack of clear goals leads to micro-management and reduced ownership.
• Clear, shared goals and hypothesis-driven planning drive focus and accountability.
• Hiring should prioritize team-building effort and candidate experience over interview length.
• Small cross-functional squads (under 10 people) with shared responsibility improve communication and delivery.
• Culture is shaped by what the organization celebrates.
• Ship smaller changes faster, measure outcomes, and communicate confidence levels.

Who Would Benefit

• Engineering leaders (CTOs, VPEs, engineering managers)
• Technical founders and senior engineers moving into leadership
• HR and recruiting teams focused on engineering hires
• Anyone interested in improving engineering team effectiveness

Frameworks and Methodologies

• Hypothesis-driven goal setting
• Small cross-functional squads
• Continuous measurement and feedback