What does it take to be an exceptional tech leader in today’s world? Many companies would simply assign a business leader to the IT team in the not-so-distant past and call it good. But as the tech world explodes, we see that it takes a unique guide to lead a technology team. An extraordinary IT leader looks beyond the bottom line and to the needs of his or her team. Leaders learn over time to look at the workplace from the team’s perspective and, in turn, learn how to make decisions in their team’s best interest. Although most managers find themselves leaning on one- or two-star employees, the best leaders understand that one person cannot possibly be expected to do everything. A diverse team of people and employees that a leader surrounds themselves with are, in the end, the key to their success.
Traits of IT Leadership Adaptability, flexibility, and energy are all traits required in IT leadership that isn’t often necessary in managers in other fields. Due to the rapidly changing field of technology and managing multiple systems and interwoven teams, IT leaders must be flexible and lead their teams to keep up to speed with constant change. Additionally, technology leaders must stay ahead of new skills and developments in an ever-changing field of study. This requires flexible thinking and advanced problem-solving skills, which are vital for a technology leader’s job. In almost every company, tech and non-tech, there’s now an IT person, if not an entire department, on staff. With the explosion of software engineer and developer positions worldwide, all business leaders have come to understand the significant role that technology plays. A true leader will help their employees recognize how they fit into the overall picture and show them that their work is essential to its overall success. Technology employees are motivated by managers who serve the company’s concerns, employees, and customers. Managers should be looking to, first and foremost, build genuine and authentic trust between themselves, the management team, and their employees, the technology department. The manager’s actions to accomplish this will boost morale, team spirit, and eventually mutual trust. Often managers have a hard time accepting that building this kind of environment means allowing failures and promoting honest feedback in their own management and communication styles to promote personal relationships. IT managers should promote from within when possible and rely on the strength within their current teams. The managers should recognize their team often have the ability to solve problems themselves if only granted the authority to do so.
What Trust Means To a Team Trust between management and the team is just one part of a successful IT team. The other crucial area that some managers overlook is the trust between the team members themselves. Some managers prefer not to get involved in interpersonal issues, but this is a cause for many stalled projects and failed goals. Team members must establish trust with each other and work well together. A successful manager understands the delicate balance between overseeing their organization and micromanaging. Often this comes down to providing their team with clear goals and specific daily responsibilities, and a transparent chain of command. Managers that lack these basic guidelines will find themselves constantly having to attend to trivial matters throughout their day.
The Balance Between Personalities When looking for new talent to bring into your organization, look for the following two types of personalities. You want developers with solid technological capabilities and some non-technical team members as well. Non-technical employees are sometimes overlooked. However, these employees can bring compassion and understanding for customers and customer-oriented perspectives to development that many developers lack. To be a successful technical leader, you also have to learn how to manage both types of employees. Knowing they may need to be managed slightly differently. Mastering this will allow you to build a robust, creative, and effective team that understands that collaborative discovery is engaging, inspiring, and necessary to success. The best technology leaders are always inquisitive. They are open to challenges and curious about the unknown. Perseverance will serve you well in this unique landscape as you will need to continue to adapt and evolve as a leader. Because of the rate and consistency of the tech world, we do not know where the change will come from or what form it will take, but your willingness to tackle it head-on is what will make you a great leader.
