FAQ - Technical Leadership and Management

Leader Roles & Responsibilities

To paraphrase Paul Glen, author of Leading Geeks: How to Manage and Lead People Who Deliver Technology»,

"[Techies] are the highly intelligent, usually introverted, extremely valuable, independent-minded, hard-to-find, difficult-to-keep technology workers essential to the future of any company."

Although Mr. Glen's comment refers specifically to the knowledge workers who specialize in the creation, maintenance, and/or support of high technology in the computer industry, I find that his definition holds true for most technical professionals, including (but not limited to) scientists, engineers, and technicians in any field. Techies may be found in every industry — in one department or spread across many functional areas/groups within an organization.

The short answer is: Techies operate by a different set of standards than the rest of the workforce; they have different priorities and are motivated by different factors. Most of these differences relate to the way techies think about the world, and the demands of their work. For more specific information, consult my article, Communication with Techies (When You Aren't One)».

Every successful techie leader plays five essential roles. Think of these roles as hats you wear depending on the circumstances in which you find yourself. Sometimes you will find that one particular hat will satisfy your needs; at other times, you may be called upon to wear multiple hats at the same time - cumbersome, but clearly doable. The more hats you need to wear at any given moment, the greater the skill and balance required to wear them. The five essential roles are:

• Coach-Mentor — The techie leader must help group members grow and develop to their full potential — exploring options, defining personal career goals, devising action plans, and supporting individual and group efforts to achieve those goals.
  
  
• Creator — Techies perform best when their environment promotes creativity and nurtures motivation. The type of environment created or fostered by a techie leader sets the stage for success or failure within the organization.
  
  
• Facilitator — Techies work better and achieve better results in a collaborative environment. The wise techie leader facilitates techies and their work rather than attempting to direct them using command-and-control techniques.
  
  
• Liaison — Techies are not often noted for their great communication skills. Techie leaders must open and maintain lines of communication both internally within their group, and between their group and those outside their group, e.g., upper management, other departments/functions, clients, and vendors.
  
  
• Guide — Techies perform in an environment full of ambiguity and uncertainty — this has a lot to do with the nature of their work. The techie leader must clarify the path to success and resolve any ambiguity along the way.

These five roles establish a foundation for your leadership style. Are you wearing all of these 'hats' (roles) within your own organization? If not, then you have some work to do. Think of it as an opportunity for real improvement — both for yourself and for your people.