What’s holding CTOs back?

Here, Bhawna Singh, CTO of Okta, says building relationships authentically with a genuine desire to better understand the business, their teams, and their peers can help. Moreover, taking the time to learn about other leaders’ priorities enables you to make better decisions, she says.

“It doesn’t matter if you’re the smartest or most experienced person in the room. If you haven’t built a relationship with the people you need to work with, then you’re not going to be an effective leader, and you’re not going to drive effective outcomes,” she says.

When CTOs set clear goals, provide the necessary resources and support, and establish a culture of accountability and continuous improvement, “we play a key role in fostering a high-performance culture,’’ McIntosh says.