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Today, I want to talk about something fundamental to this blog. I want to try and answer the question: why are technical leadership skills important anyway? I’m going to argue that technical leadership skills are the most important tool you have at your disposal for becoming indispensable and maintaining a healthy level of job security.
What do I mean by “Technical Leadership Skills”
When I talk about technical leadership skills, I’m referring to the application of leadership principles to technical environments, be that a project, process, or service. John C. Maxwell, one of the most prolific leadership authors alive today, argues in his book “The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership
Bringing About Positive Change
It should probably go without saying that bringing positive change is a good thing to do at work. No big whoop. What makes this a big deal is that nobody else is doing it. Why is that? Well, I’ve got a theory on that. I think the fact of the matter is that it’s easier to complain something that’s not working right than it is to actually solve the problem. I don’t mean to sound cynical – I tend to be an incredibly positive person. I’m just getting at the fact that people tend, in general towards the path of least resistance. In this case, taking the initiative to change something that’s broken is most definitely not the path of least resistance.
Beyond that, I think there’s an even bigger barrier to people taking on the challenge of change – it makes you vulnerable. If your idea doesn’t work, then you might look bad. The alternative is not to get noticed at all, and a lot of people are actually more comfortable with that.
The Opportunity
I think the fact that change is hard makes for a huge opportunity for potential leaders in industry. To me, this means you don’t actually have to do that much to really stand out from the crowd. Incremental, gradual changes can be initiated by even the most junior of engineers. If it’s a genuinely good idea, it’ll stick, and the world around you becomes a better place. If it’s a bad idea, you’ll be recognized by your superiors as having the guts to at least try something, and you’ll have no doubt grown along the way. Good times.
Engineers who make the effort to improve their teams, projects, processes and services are critical to any organization. Most managers would give their eye teeth for people like that. Nobody will be eager to get rid of someone who purposefully tries to make their surroundings better – especially when done out of a spirit of service. To me, this is the ultimate job security in a corporate setting.
What Will You Change?
My challenge to you is to find something that you can improve within your own sphere of influence. Something small, and something that will make life better for the people around you. Find that thing and just do it. If you can tackle something small once a month over the course of a year, you’ll be amazed at the impact on the world around you – not to mention your own job satisfaction.
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Having done time in an engineering department for 10 years, I agree with your assessment, but I also think a lot of engineers don’t understand the burning need for leadership.
My last boss there didn’t have a clue. He thought getting a paycheck ought to be enough motivation. He favored the men in the department, resulting in anger from us women. He was never wrong. We were to – and this is verbatim – seek out our own training. He never complimented, just let us know when we were screwing up.
He had absolutely no idea why everyone in the department hated coming to work. He wasn’t evil, just completely clueless.
Hey Katrina,
Thanks for your comments! I really appreciate you chiming in.
You’re right. A lot of engineers, and other managers for that matter don’t seem to see the need for leadership or intrinsic motivation. Both are critical for successful teams and healthy workplaces. It’s especially disconcerting to hear the bias against women in your case. There’s no room for that in any environment.
Thanks again, Katrina!
Pat
Mine is even worse. People don’t want to change at all. They want to stay what it is. There are no engineering policies. And a lot of failures of projects are happening. But it doesn’t matter! Because the company business will cover everything. It means that the “holes” will be filled out with budgets on hands. Really no idea how to deal with the situation like this.
From the article: “…the fact of the matter is that it’s easier to complain something that’s not working right than it is to actually solve the problem.”
Try doing something about it, even something small and seemingly insignificant. If everyone made small contributions their combined efforts would have great effect.
(Plus you would feel better about going to work everyday, knowing that your hand is helping guide the ship.)