Smart Ways CTOs Can Drive Long-Term Growth Across Organizations

As technology becomes deeply embedded in every facet of business, CTOs are uniquely positioned to drive momentum in ways that others can’t. From streamlining workflows to piloting emerging tools to turning technical complexity into strategic action, CTOs can shape outcomes across teams and products.

Below, members of Forbes Technology Council share habits and strategies that help CTOs lead with greater impact, keep innovation moving and accelerate business growth. Follow their recommendations to deliver real improvements and positive, measurable outcomes.

1. Delegate Critical Tasks To Experts

A lack of productivity stifles growth, so know when to delegate! That includes bringing in outside experts to handle steep challenges and complex tasks—like compliance with regulatory frameworks—that staff members are not readily equipped for. - Perry Carpenter, KnowBe4, Inc.

2. Structure Teams Like Scalable Tech Systems

CTOs can drive organizational growth by structuring teams the same way they design scalable tech services. Each team should have a clear purpose, autonomy to execute independently and defined interfaces with other teams. This modular approach enables businesses to scale capabilities horizontally, identify constraints and continuously evolve team structures without disrupting overall performance. - Christian Monberg, Zeta Global

3. Simplify The Present While Building For The Future

Socio-technological environments are changing continuously—and fast—so it is important for a CTO to simplify the current state and motivate team members to explore and experiment with technologies that will define the future state. The primary drivers are operational efficiency and effectiveness in value creation. - Arnab Mukhopadhyay, VNS Health

4. Align Tech Roadmaps With Business Outcomes

CTOs can create a culture of continuous innovation by aligning technology roadmaps with business outcomes, leveraging perspectives from business leaders when implementing new technology programs and initiatives, and piloting emerging technologies in operations, leading to relevant outcomes. This ensures greater collaboration, co-creation, efficiency and sustained competitive advantage. - Vishal Talwar, Wipro Ltd.

5. Pursue Optionality In Designs

CTOs can regularly engage teams in discussions about how they’re preserving optionality within their designs. Optionality is one of the most valuable—yet often misunderstood—pathways to asymmetric organic growth. Examples of products that demonstrate strong optionality include the Google Maps API, Amazon Web Services and the entire Slack product. - Stephen Fishman, Boomi

6. Regularly Experiment With Emerging Tech

CTOs should evaluate and experiment with one emerging technology, such as AI or blockchain, on a quarterly basis. Testing small AI applications for customer support can reveal potential cost savings or income opportunities while establishing the company as a growth-oriented innovator. - Saket Chaudhari, TriNet Inc.

7. Translate Business Needs Into Technical Action

CTOs drive growth by translating business needs into clear technical actions, understanding root causes and guiding teams with clarity. Building dynamic, cross-platform teams and automating processes fosters agility and innovation. When tech aligns with purpose, it becomes a true enabler of business success. - Mahipal Reddy Yalla, Virtual Networx Inc.

8. Make Technical Concepts Accessible To Everyone

We expect CTOs to have all the technical answers, but the strength of a CTO is actually their ability to simplify the most complex technical ideas into something that everyone can relate to. Get them to do some explainer videos—YouTube is your CTO’s friend. - Wasim Ahmad, Vault12

9. Map Technology To Strategy And Market Trends

CTOs should intimately understand the business model, strategy and competitive landscape. They should use this to build a probable roadmap of relevant technologies that will reshape the company, prepare for competition or better disrupt the business. - Suresh Sundararajan, Mindsprint

10. Approach Technology With An Entrepreneurial Mindset

Thinking like an entrepreneur can dramatically elevate a CTO’s impact on organizational growth. It shifts the CTO’s role from being a technology operator to becoming a value creator—someone who doesn’t just build systems, but who also builds businesses. No matter the company size, a CTO must maintain that entrepreneurial edge to drive growth. - Rohana Meade, Synergy Technical

11. Treat Data Pipelines Like Products To Turn Information Into Momentum

CTOs drive growth by treating data pipelines like products—versioned, tested and owned with discipline. But it doesn’t stop there. Embedding analytics into day-to-day workflows and conversational interfaces ensures insights aren’t just seen—they’re acted on. That’s how you turn information into momentum across the entire organization. - Mike Capone, Qlik

12. Sync Technology Investments With Corporate Strategy

Align technology investments and initiatives with the overall corporate strategy. Leading organizations have an annual planning process in which they align specific business initiatives to achieve their organization’s strategic plan. By aligning the technology roadmap and investments with annual initiatives and overall corporate strategy, CTOs will proactively contribute to organizational growth. - Joseph Longo, Velosio

13. Prioritize Change Management

True organizational growth is a team effort, and everyone needs to be on the same page when it comes to new tools and technology. CTOs have a responsibility to support all team members as they get up to speed with new processes, providing support and empathy along the way. - Bill Rokos, Parsec Automation

14. Use Technology Initiatives To Drive Revenue

CTOs can contribute to growth by using technology to generate revenue. Instead of looking at emerging technologies as a cost or source of savings, use them to generate revenue. It’s a much better business case with a positive ROI. - Pam Brodsack, Velera

15. Visit Teams In Person To Gather Unfiltered Feedback

A proven and highly effective strategy CTOs can leverage is to go back to basics and visit various lines of business in person on a quarterly basis. To get the best results, CTOs should conduct unannounced visits to meet with technical and non-technical individuals. Famously, Sam Walton (of Walmart) and Satya Nadella (of Microsoft) visited teams unannounced to collect real-world feedback. - Jonathan Doughty, Mentat, LLC

16. Balance Operational Management With Future Focus

CTOs should make sure they have a solid organizational process in place. This ensures most of the team is focused on “keeping the lights on” while the CTO selects a small handful of staff to work on the strategic roadmap for the future. It requires solid leadership skills to stay out of the minutiae of current programs and find the time for innovative thinking on, “What is the art of the possible?” - Bruce Kornfeld, StorMagic

17. Build Cross-Functional Alignment Into Tech Planning

Intentional alignment of key technology goals, alongside evolving business objectives that help eliminate waste and friction, is key to improving productivity and bringing products to market faster. Building a highly connected organization where roadmaps are reflective of broader cross-functional requirements is necessary to deliver capabilities faster and with quality. - Mo Trezies, Euna Solutions

18. Be An Early Adopter Of Technology

Some of your employees will be early adopters and try to push new tech before it’s mature enough for your organization. Some of your employees will be late adopters of tech, resisting change when it’s needed. Only by being the early adopter of tech yourself can you assess if it’s mature enough for you to push your organization to adopt it. - Arie Abramovici‬‏, Exodigo

19. Adopt A Partnership Mindset

Work with a partnership mindset—internally and externally. Partner with other organizational leaders to align technology decisions to support strategic goals for growth. Treat the customer relationship as a partnership, too, staying in active conversations about their needs and developing and launching tools and solutions to solve tactical, practical business problems. - Ed Jennings, Quickbase

20. Stay Close To Customers To Shape Smart Solutions

One of the most impactful strategies is building direct relationships with customers. When CTOs engage deeply in customer conversations, they gain insights that shape product decisions, drive adoption and align technology with business growth, turning tech leadership into a true revenue enabler. - Nikita Gupta, Symba