Consideration 4 — Extended

Sadly, many technical degree and certification programs fail to include instruction in numerous areas that are key to leader survival in today's business environment. For example,

Leadership
Team Development
Project/Program Management
Product Development and Lifecycle
Process and Organizational Development
People Coordination
Conflict Management
Communication Skills

It has been left to the business schools to provide such instruction to those starting out on the management track. Unfortunately, this educational strategy generally produces...

technical people with few management or people skills, and
business people with few technical skills and little understanding of the special needs associated with technical people and their environments.

The need in most technical organizations is for leaders who, to varying degrees, excel in both areas (i.e., technical understanding and leadership skills).

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