The research behindBecome CTO
15 years of studying what makes technology leaders effective. Not theory. A practitioner's methodology built from real experience.
How it started
It started in 2011 with a simple question: why do some technology leaders create enormous impact while others just stay busy?
The LIT Framework was the first attempt to answer that question. A simple model for understanding how technology leaders need to balance being a Leader, an Innovator, and a Technologist. It was built from direct experience, not academic research.
Over the next 15 years, that thinking evolved through six CTO appointments across seven countries, nearly seven years at Amazon across Asia Pacific, and research across 80+ technology organisations.
The pattern that emerged
The same pattern showed up again and again. Technology leaders get stuck being order takers because they don't have a framework for what "strategic" actually means in practice.
They know they should be more strategic. Their CEOs tell them. Their boards tell them. But nobody shows them what that looks like day to day. So they default to what they know: being technical, being busy, and hoping that effort translates to impact.
It usually doesn't.
What Become CTO is
Become CTO is the methodology that came out of that research. The LIT Framework, the 7 CTO Archetypes, the 7 Moves, and the 4Ps together form a complete model for technology leadership development.
It's not generic leadership advice. It's not technical architecture patterns. It's specifically for technology leaders who need to be strategic, not just technical. Proven across 80+ organisations and 15 years of application.
Not an academic theory. A practitioner's methodology built from real experience.
About Timothy J. Hitchens (TJ)
Timothy J. Hitchens
Creator of the Become CTO Methodology
TJ has held six CTO appointments across seven countries. He spent nearly seven years at Amazon across Asia Pacific. He serves as a Board Director and Treasurer for a private school. Over 40 years in technology.
He created the LIT Framework in 2011 and built the Become CTO methodology through 15 years of research across 80+ technology organisations. He founded Techshin Partners to apply the methodology commercially, working with CEOs and CTOs to get technology functions performing.
His approach is direct and practical. He's not interested in theory that sounds good in a classroom but falls apart in a real organisation. Everything in the Become CTO methodology has been tested, refined, and proven in actual technology leadership situations.
The observation that drives his work is simple: the gap between a busy CTO and an effective one isn't talent or effort. It's having a clear model for what the position actually demands, and the discipline to develop capability across all of it.
Want to work with TJ?
If you're a CEO who wants to get the methodology applied to your technology function, TJ works through Techshin Partners. For workshops, speaking engagements, or CTO community events, reach out directly.