|
The Leadership Challenge
The need for technology workers, innovators, and technical
leaders is not going to go away any time soon. The reliance today on technology
by almost every functional area within organizations is steadily
increasing. Although this may be good news for techie job security, it also
creates a broader spectrum of challenges.
The more techies must
interface with non-technical co-workers, clients, and managers, the
greater the need for constructive interaction.
Clearly, the need for competent individuals who can
lead, mentor, and support technical people is also on the rise. The
leadership challenges arising from these needs are, therefore, addressed
by the following questions.
- How can technical people successfully become effective leaders within
their organizations?
- What will it take to help existing managers
do a better job of understanding and leading their technical personnel?
Unfortunately, many organizations respond to the challenges faced
by their technical leaders in one, or both, of the following ways:
- Ignore the problem and allow it to work itself out over time!
[OR]
- Send technical supervisors to a management class or seminar.
In our experience, the first approach only breeds frustration,
costly mistakes, and loss of revenue or critical resources. The second
approach, although done with good intentions, usually fails as well.
Our experience has shown that simply attending a training seminar is not
enough.
All too often, individuals leave a seminar energized and ready
to apply what they have learned. They return to work, but time and the urgency
of business tend to defeat them before they've had a chance to begin.
Regular support is needed to help integrate
the new knowledge/skills into everyday practice.
«Back to top
|
