CTO Think Podcast
Activity Overview
Episode publication activity over the past year
Episodes
Networking for Introverts
24 Apr 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Having a strong network makes for a huge advantage for career opportunities and learning how to lead. We discuss how to push past shyness and introver...
The 30-Day Deadline of Failure and Follow-Through
24 Apr 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Mark Thompson gave himself a tough 30-day deadline to build and launch the first version of his app, TotallyStrong.me. Setting a goal gave him tremend...
Learning and Shipping with Flutter
17 Apr 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Mark Thompson discusses his learning and launching a native app using Flutter, a new cross-platform framework developed by Google.
Choosing a Tech Stack
17 Apr 2018
Contributed by Lukas
There are a lot of factors tech managers need to consider when inheriting or choosing a technology stack. We talk about how we chose specific stacks i...
Identity Heft
10 Apr 2018
Contributed by Lukas
With hacking, data security, and privacy as huge issues in the press, we discuss how we approach identity management on both products and across our t...
Learning CSS Grid
09 Apr 2018
Contributed by Lukas
We have a guest, Megan Schemmel, discuss her new career as a developer, learning Wordpress, and taking on the new Grid functionality of CSS
Learning JavaScript (Better)
08 Apr 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Don and Randy discuss the steps we've taken to better learn JavaScript, Node.js, React, and React Native. A whole lotta videos and pain.
The Intro!
06 Apr 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Randy and Don introduce our new, loose-form podcast, and talk about how it contrasts with our more formal, parent podcast, CTO Think.
Don't Be Evil-ish?
03 Apr 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Where do you draw the line on ethics? How do you take a stand when you want to keep your job? This week, we discuss ethical behavior and the responsib...
Non-Disclosures, Non-Competes, No Way?
27 Mar 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Should you sign non-compete or non-disclosure agreements? Are these kinds of contracts binding? Are they even useful for your business? We discuss eve...
You're so vain, you think in-office work is about you
20 Mar 2018
Contributed by Lukas
We discuss our history with in-office and remote work, why junior devs might reconsider working outside the office, and how requiring folks to work in...
Fostering a learning environment with Mark Thompson of Trilogy
14 Mar 2018
Contributed by Lukas
We speak with our first guest, Mark Thompson of Trilogy Education, about his approach to creating a productive learning environment both on the job an...
Communicating on a roller coaster of uptime and downtime
07 Mar 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Randy and Don found themselves stranded, mid-ride on the Expedition Everest roller coaster at Disney World's Animal Kingdom. Following their rescue, a...
Are code challenges a lazy or legitimate method for hiring developers?
25 Feb 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Are code challenges or quizzes a legitimate practice for hiring developers? We debate whether the method of filtering candidates via whiteboarding or ...
Skills for a career in tech leadership
18 Feb 2018
Contributed by Lukas
If a junior developer is looking at the fork in a technology career path of software engineering or management, what kinds of skills do they need for ...
Developer focus is an excuse not to talk, right?
10 Feb 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Is the call for "developer focus" a selfish complaint from precious snowflake employees? What right do developers have to ruin the design trend of gre...
Your hosting strategy - Choosing from self, managed, cloud, or serverless
03 Feb 2018
Contributed by Lukas
How do you choose the best hosting options for your product or firm? This week, we discuss the thinking in a choice between self-hosting, managed host...
Work-life balance
27 Jan 2018
Contributed by Lukas
We discuss the importance of a work-life or non-tech balance for someone building a career in technology. Do folks need to set aside a specific amount...
Does a tech manager need to code to be effective?
18 Jan 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Randy is a CTO that codes almost daily. Don has found it difficult to string together multiple days where he's able to code for his current roles. Tod...
Antifragile and TDD - What's the value?
12 Jan 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Don brings up the subject of chaos, based on a book he's been reading, Antifragile, by Nassim Nicholas Taleb. We discuss the merits of test driven dev...
Risk and Exploits - Dealing with Meltdown and Spectre
05 Jan 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Randy and Don discuss an item ripped from the headlines: What should a technical manager do about the recent Meltdown and Spectre exploits? They move ...
Managing tech debt - When best to work on it?
02 Jan 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Don faced an issue at his education tech firm: When should you slow down forward progress on new features in order to spend time on festering technica...
Hiring developers - Who should I hire to build an app?
28 Dec 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Randy was posed a question by a potential client: "I want to build an app. Who should I hire?" and he asks the same question to Don.
Introducing CTO Think
23 Dec 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to CTO Think, a podcast about how technology leaders think about business, tech, and people problems. Don VanDemark and Randy Burgess, two cur...