Want to become a technology leader? Here’s what you should know.

If you’re a tech specialist with few years experience under your belt, you’re probably mapping out your next move.

The natural step from here? Leading people.

So…how do you transition into those leadership roles?

You’re likely familiar with the soft skills leaders need like:

• Communication
• Empathy
• Problem-solving.

But what about 21st century tech leadership skills?

What are those and how do you develop them?

More importantly, how do you set yourself apart as a transformational technology leader?

Leaders of the future: read on.

The state of play today

Before we get stuck in, let’s take a moment to see where we’re at as far as technology leadership and strategy goes.

Here’s what the 2024 Talenza Salary Guide revealed:

📈 Relevant technology skills + commercial experience are in high demand –  speeding up the hiring process big time.

Case in point: a top-tier consultancy whipping through a 3-stage interview process in one day to secure a candidate!

📈 CEOs are making data-focused hiring decisions. In other words, if you’ve got tech skills and are growing your leadership ones? You could soon be fighting off the offers!

So how can you position yourself as an up-and-coming people leader?

Here’s what you need to know.

It’s not about the tech

Yes, most technology leaders are promoted because of their experience. But once you’re in the hot seat, you need more.

The ideal tech leader should:

✅ Be well-respected

✅ Possess strong management skills

✅ Have the authority and strength to hold teams accountable

✅ Be resilient

✅ Know how to innovate

✅ Take a problem-solving approach.

(Source)

Not convinced?

Here’s what experienced tech leader Mike Schembri told us recently. He’s held various CIO roles at Fujifilm and is now a senior CIO advisor and coach at Info-Tech Research Group…so he knows his stuff.

“I’ve never met a technical team who can’t tell me who’s the best at whatever…it’s like…’his coding in Perl is amazing’ or ‘his understanding of security is incredible’,” he reveals. “But, funnily enough, the further you get to leadership, the less important your technical skills become, in my experience.

“I have always made a point of unashamedly saying, ‘You know, I don’t pretend to know this…’. Once other people realise you’re empowering them and expecting them to own their space, most of them find that quite freeing.”

You’ve got to this point with tech-based skills. You’ll reach your next one with people-focused ones.

Learning to lead

Strap on your big person shoes: this is no walk in the park.

In fact, Anna Marshall, director of People Mastery, says transitioning from technical expert to manager is one of the toughest challenges you’ll face in your career.

“Even moving from general manager to CEO isn’t as difficult as shifting from an individual contributor to a first-level people leader,” she tells us.

And, when it comes to tech skills vs managerial skills, it’s a whole new ball game.

“Technical skills focus on tasks or projects, like forensic accounting,” Anna explains, “while management skills focus on people and relationships.”

So, despite being known as ‘soft’ skills, it’s fair to say this leadership expertise is anything but!

Key takeaway: be patient with yourself. Plenty of people have done it – and you can, too!

Want specifics? Keep reading 👇

How to master leadership skills (and become a technology leader)

Moving from a technical specialist to leader has its challenges, sure. But, these steps will help get you there:

1. Do a SWOT analysis on yourself

Don’t wait for your next performance review to figure out your strengths and weaknesses. Take action now!

What areas can you work on to become a better manager?

How can you do that?

What’s stopping you?

2. Turn down the technical tasks

We get it: you love a tech project. But if you focus too much on those jobs, you’re only hindering your growth as a manager.

Truly want to develop your leadership skills? It’s a ‘thanks, but no thanks’ to those technical projects outside your responsibilities.

Get a mentor

Someone you know (whether in your organisation or not) will have navigated a similar transition. Approach* them and ask about being your mentor.

It doesn't have to be a formal arrangement – it’s about getting their guidance as you go. The right mentor will help you succeed in your new role and avoid common pitfalls.

*Nervous about asking someone to help you out? Don’t be. Most people are flattered you’ve even thought of them!

Worst case scenario: they decline and you move on.

Connect with your team

Take the time to meet individually with everyone in your team.

This will help you get across their:

🎯 Interests

🎯 Motivations

🎯 Needs.

This shows you’re interested in them (and is a no-brainer for building rapport).

Be clear about expectations

Your team will have unspoken expectations about you. And, if you want to be an effective leader, you need to know what those are.

Look into the Psychological Contract so you can start building solid relationships and influencing the right people.

Learn patiently

Don’t feel you have to absorb everything at once. Often, that ends in tears.

Instead, focus on mastering skills one at a time. This approach is far more sustainable and will ensure you actually retain information as you progress through your leadership career.

(Source)

How can you become a 21st century leader?

Good question. Lucky for us, Deloitte ran a study to uncover exactly this.

Their 2023 Global Technology Leadership Study concluded that a great leader possesses competencies which make them:

Engineers

This means someone who can:

• build
• operate and
• optimise

business operations and technology. They’ll also have deep technical expertise and a commitment to operational value.

Architects

Much like a traditional architect, these skills are about:

• Envisioning
• Designing
• Overseeing.

But, here, we’re talking about technology environments, not beautiful buildings. And those environments must be:

• Resilient
• Scalable
• Agile.

In other words: staying ahead of the game! In this case, the emerging technologies one.

Data scientists

As a technology leader, you need to identify opportunities for business growth.

Which means data:

• Collection
• Management
• Analysis.

Then, you use that data to deliver insights.

Change agents

You don’t have to love change…but you’ll have to get used to it. Your role as a technology leader is to improve business processes and experiences. And that means leading and managing complex digital transformations.

Owners

It’s time to own your space.

Call on your business acumen and stakeholder relationships to identify challenges in your business. Then create innovative solutions to solve them.

Still in tech? You can still hone your people skills.

Even if a leadership role isn’t right for you now, it’s never too early to practise your people skills.

Anemari Fiser and Caleb Mellas say transitioning from a technology specialist into a technology leader is all about impact.

Here’s how you can make the biggest one:

Be collaborative

Being a solo hero-coder has its limits. Real success comes from collaborating with others. By working closely with your team, customer support and other departments, you can achieve far more.

Embrace collaboration and you'll be amazed at what you can accomplish!

Be vulnerable

Admitting mistakes and asking for help can be tough – especially for senior engineers or tech leads. However, showing vulnerability can earn you more respect in the end. It also fosters a more supportive environment.

By being open about your challenges, you’ll learn faster and solve problems more efficiently. But, most importantly, you’ll bring others along with you on the journey.

Help others grow

Like we said, it’s about pulling people up with you. And let’s be honest: there’s only so much impact you can make by improving your coding skills!

Instead, focus on coaching and supporting others. When you share your knowledge, it cements your expertise – and amplifies the overall success of your team and organisation.

Talk less, listen more

There are plenty of bad listeners out there – why not buck the trend by being a good one? That means being an active listener and involves:

🧏‍♀️ Giving your full attention (that email can wait)

🧏‍♀️ Minimising distractions (put the phone away!)

🧏‍♀️ Reflecting on what you’ve heard (recap at the end of your chat).

It might take some practice, but it’s worth it. Good listening skills will help you build deeper, more connected relationships – and will speed up your learning, too.

Don’t be fazed by feedback

Does anyone genuinely enjoy getting feedback? Probably not. But it’s a powerful tool for growth. And, as a future leader, you need to support a healthy culture of giving and receiving feedback.

When it comes to feedback, you should learn to:

• Ask for it
• Give it
• Act on it
• Reinforce it.

Because that’s how you’ll continuously improve (and advance) your career.

Ready to come out from behind your computer?

Taking your technology skills into the next phase of your career might be scary – but it’s exciting, too. With the right mindset and a few tweaks to what you’re already doing, you’ll be in a technology leadership role before you know it!

Start your journey today by downloading the 2024 Talenza Salary Guide.