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What if the hardest part of being a CTO isn’t about the technology at all, but learning to lead without a map?



In this episode, I’m joined by Etienne de Bruin, founder of Seven CTOs and CTO Levels, and co-author of the upcoming book Liquid. For more than a decade, Etienne has worked with CTOs navigating the shift from hands-on coding to executive leadership.

We talk about the moment he realized his value wasn’t in the code anymore, how he built a peer network to fill the gaps he couldn’t see, and the pivotal lessons that shaped his approach to coaching. Etienne also shares the thinking behind Liquid, exploring how CTOs can find balance between chaos and rigidity while mastering the four “sentinels” every tech leader needs to succeed.

You’ll Learn:

• What it feels like to be pushed or pulled out of the codebase as a CTO
• The real reason Etienne founded Seven CTOs and why most early members walked away
• How ontological coaching changes the way CTOs solve problems and influence outcomes
• The quiet damage of solving the wrong problem when your influence goes unchecked
• The four “sentinels” every CTO must master to earn trust at the executive table
• Why balancing “boiling” chaos and “frozen” rigidity can make or break a tech team
• The surprising link between financial fluency and a CTO’s long-term success
• How the Levels framework reveals capability gaps that stall growth
• What happens when a CTO builds genuine alignment with sales and product leaders

Timestamps:

[00:00] Introduction

[06:58] The challenge of stepping away from coding into leadership

[14:00] Building a startup and the moment to stop coding

[17:57] Creating Seven CTOs and the need for peer groups

[27:15] How ontological coaching transforms CTO problem solving

[37:14] The core role of a CTO and the importance of financial fluency

[45:11] The concept of Liquid and navigating boiling vs frozen states

[47:59] The four sentinels every CTO must manage

[53:54] Using the Levels framework to diagnose capability gaps

You can connect with Etienne on LinkedIn.

Find more from Adam on LinkedIn and YouTube, and check out Adam's CTO coaching company Synova Tech.