Advancing the Skills of Technical People in Leadership Roles
Advancing the Skills of Technical People in Leadership Roles
By Otto Siegel
The U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Computer Information System Manager's Occupational Outlook Report, states that IT managers play a vital role in the technology direction of their organization. And, as networks continue to expand and more work is done, IT managers will find that their careers could be abruptly limited unless they obtain advanced communication and leadership skills to explain the work, concepts and conduct training in non-technical terms for senior management, subordinates and customers.
The Occupational Outlook Report goes on to note that many universities offering advanced technical degrees have added core curriculum courses in verbal communication to support the ever growing demand for technically talented individuals to also possess savvy communication skills.
Long gone are the days when computer and information system managers were simply the go-to people when the system crashed or when new data ports needed to be added to support other departments.
Information technology is no longer a sub-department found in the bowels of large companies; it has been a booming industry for over 20 years and has a remarkable direct impact on just about every other industry from used car sales to cosmetic surgery to credit card services. Even McDonald's is dependant on technology to run their daily operations.
Traditionally, members of an IT staff were not expected to advance outside of the technical departments or highly technical industries and thus, little emphasis was placed on their interpersonal skills. In fact, the reputation of the IT employee's lack of communication skills even provided comic material for a regular skit on Saturday Night Live where the IT guys were notably, sarcastic and rude accusing employees of user errors when they requested technical assistance.
Many organizations such as IBM , Microcell, Abbott Labs and countless others have openly embraced coaching in communications as being critical to their leadership, competencies and even profitability.
One of the most economical and effective ways to coach communication skills to those who do not possess it naturally is by hiring a coaching professional to conduct on-site or off-site training with key technical staff that are in leadership roles. Although the market is flooded with consultants, trainers or coaches of one kind or another, a limited number offer training that is not based in the touchy feely realm but is designed with the technical or engineer expert in mind.
These programs have specific formulas that give the sequential mind usable tools for day to day interpersonal skills that aid in their need to collaborate and function with a team. As technical people obtain and master their leadership and communication skills, they seem to quickly find themselves with countless opportunities for advancement and also take a global ownership for all areas of the organization.
Experienced coaches with established and proven programs can be found through; www.eworkmarkets.com, Arizona Technology Council and Computer Horizons to name just a few. Coaches should have a dynamic facilitator style, pre-written contracts and be able to share established materials with senior leadership prior to the course schedule.
Above all else, the coach or facilitator should understand the needs of the audience they are training and be able clearly link the coaching to company's desired results.
Otto Siegel is the president of Otto Siegel & Company, www.ottosiegel.com, a leadership development firm committed to the needs of organizations seeking to dramatically increase their success through action-based leadership, breakthrough performance and measurable increases in profitability. Otto is a certified facilitator for The Coaching Clinic and founder of Genius Coaching. Otto can be reached at 623-266-3923 and e-mail at oscc@cox.net.