The LIT Framework
Leader. Innovator. Technologist. The three pillars every technology leader must learn to balance.
Why this matters
Created in 2011, the LIT Framework came from a simple observation: the most effective technology leaders aren't defined by any single strength. They're defined by their ability to move fluidly between three different modes of operating.
Most technology leaders get stuck in one mode. Usually the Technologist mode, because that's what got them in the room. But staying there keeps them reactive, tactical, and ultimately stuck as an order taker.
The LIT Framework helps you see which mode you're in, which mode the situation needs, and how to build capability across all three.
The three pillars
Each pillar demands different skills, different thinking, and different behaviours.
Leader
Setting direction, building teams, creating clarity, and aligning the technology function with business strategy.
The Leader mode is about people and direction. It's where you build trust with the executive team, develop your leaders, and create the conditions for everyone else to do their best work.
When you need it: stakeholder alignment, team development, strategic planning, culture building, board communication.
Innovator
Driving change, enabling experimentation, managing risk, and finding better ways to solve problems.
The Innovator mode is about progress and change. It's where you challenge assumptions, explore new approaches, and push the organisation to evolve its thinking about technology.
When you need it: product strategy, R&D investment, process improvement, competitive response, technology modernisation.
Technologist
Understanding systems, making technical calls, building for scale, and maintaining the credibility that comes from deep technical knowledge.
The Technologist mode is about depth and rigour. It's where you make the hard technical decisions, maintain hands on credibility with your team, and ensure the architecture supports the business.
When you need it: architecture decisions, incident response, technical hiring, code review, infrastructure planning.
Balanced vs imbalanced
The difference between a technology leader who creates impact and one who just stays busy.
When you're balanced
You shift between modes depending on what the situation needs. You can have a strategic conversation with the CEO in the morning, run a technical architecture review after lunch, and coach a senior engineer through a difficult decision in the afternoon.
Your team sees you as someone who understands the technology deeply but leads beyond it. You build credibility in the boardroom and on the engineering floor.
You're proactive. You set direction. You create clarity for your team and confidence for your stakeholders.
When you're imbalanced
You default to one mode regardless of what the situation needs. Usually the Technologist mode, because it feels safe and familiar.
Your team sees you as technically strong but absent as a leader. Your CEO sees you as deep in the weeds but unable to connect technology to business outcomes. You're the smartest person in the room but nobody's following you.
You're reactive. You're busy. You're executing someone else's vision instead of creating your own.
How to develop across all three
The first step is awareness. Most technology leaders have never thought about which mode they're operating in at any given moment. Once you can see it, you can start to choose it.
The second step is identifying your weak pillar. Not your weakest technical skill, but which of the three pillars you avoid or underinvest in. For most CTOs, it's the Leader pillar. For some, it's the Innovator pillar. Rarely is it the Technologist pillar.
The third step is deliberate practice. The 7 Moves in the Become CTO methodology give you specific capabilities to develop across all three modes. Master Yourself and Speak with Purpose build Leader capability. Build Systems and Deliver Relentlessly develop your Innovator mode. The LIT Framework ties them all together.
Your archetype determines your pillar balance
Different stages and contexts demand different balances across the three pillars. The 7 CTO Archetypes show you which pillar balance you need for your specific situation, and the 7 Moves give you the practical playbook to develop across all three.