From technical worker to leader

Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash

When you are a leader, you have loyal followers. If you are in the company of peers who attempt to model some of your behaviours or attributes, you have a leader's influence on them. Those in management roles are usually depicted as leaders. However, leadership can be less overt for those entrenched in highly technical or customer-focused positions.

Despite being surrounded by role models frequently in a professional context, some still grapple with delivering a personal definition of a "Technical Leader." Some may also struggle to differentiate between a Technical Individual, a Contributor and a Technical Leader. Individual contributors—commonly defined as people with no employees reporting directly to them —influence their co-workers via direct relationship building (mentoring, coaching, or sharing). Also, via process enhancements, customer advocacy through product groups, and peer advocacy with the support of business leaders.

Drilling down into leadership styles, here are some questions you can ask members of your technical teams:-

How do you view yourself in the workplace?

• Establish what aspects of your job invigorate you the most.
• Go through every day as a chance to learn something new.
• Focus on a personal goal.

Photo by rawpixel on Unsplash

How do you view your professional relationships?

• Examine each project or issue from your customers' point of view.
• Develop your network every month, and ideally have prospective mentors approach you.
• Think about the broader impact of your action in your company, industry and broader context.

How do you perform in the workplace?

• Run the extra mile for your customers, complete every task, and ace the final job you deliver.
• Demand quality from yourself and those around you. Set a high standard and don't deviate from it.
• Look out for issues that need solutions, drill down on processes requiring efficiency and seek opportunities to innovate, then act.

How do you build a well-oiled machine?

• Consider all the lessons you've read through above and establish a logical way to move your personal development forward, adhering to your professional needs.