The LIT Framework

The LIT Framework

From Order Taker to Impact Maker

Created by Timothy J. Hitchens in 2011. The thinking behind Become CTO.

L

Leader

People, influence, and organisational capability

I

Innovator

Strategic thinking and creative problem solving

T

Technologist

Technical credibility and system understanding

The Foundation

The Question

What separates technology leaders who shape strategy from those who just execute what they're told?

Great technologists were stuck as Order Takers. They could code brilliantly, architect systems, ship products. But they didn't lead. They didn't influence strategy. They didn't drive outcomes.

The answer wasn't more technical skill. The answer was balance.

Being LIT means mastering three pillars together: lead people, think strategically, make sound technical decisions. When you do, you become an Impact Maker.

Why Balance Matters

The Problem: Specialisation Becomes Bottleneck

The Founder CTO: Brilliant Technologist and Innovator. Builds great products. Can't delegate. The team depends entirely on them.

The Product Manager CTO: Strong Leader and Innovator. Lost technical credibility. Team questions their technical decisions.

The Engineering Manager: All Leader. Out of touch with technology. Makes decisions that feel naive to the team.

The Solution: Balanced mastery across all three. Not equal expertise necessarily. But balanced enough that you're not a bottleneck. You lead. You think strategically. You make sound technical decisions. You become an Impact Maker.

Unbalanced

One or two pillars dominant. Heavy dependence on one person. Limited impact.

Balanced (LIT)

LIT

All three pillars working together. Not bottlenecked. Maximum impact.

The 32 Essential Skills

Mastery across 4 core areas. 8 skills in each.

Building High Performing Teams Psychological Safety Technical Communication Conflict Resolution Remote Leadership Hiring Talent Coaching & Development Culture Building Workflow Automation Quality Systems Decision Frameworks Operational Excellence Scalable Systems Knowledge Management Performance Metrics Continuous Improvement User Research Market Analysis Product Strategy Launch Planning Customer Insights Competitive Advantage Product Market Fit Innovation & Experimentation Financial Planning Unit Economics Venture Capital Readiness Scalable Business Models Technology ROI Margin Optimisation Competitive Economics Growth Forecasting
P

People

Lead teams, build culture, communicate

P

Process

Design systems, scale operations, drive excellence

P

Product

Understand markets, innovate, build customer love

P

Profit

Build models, manage finances, drive growth

The Evolution

From Individual to Team

For 13 years, the LIT Framework helped individual CTOs master the three pillars and become Impact Makers.

Then we discovered something: Individual leaders can be LIT, but teams can't scale on the back of one person.

The real transformation happens when the entire technology team becomes LIT AND the CTO becomes the archetype the business actually needs.

2011–2023

Individual CTO coaching

2024

Individual isn't enough

Now

Team transformation + archetype alignment

Become the CTO your business stage requires.

Transform your entire technology team while aligning your leadership to the archetype your stage actually needs.

Explore Become CTO