5 Traits To Become An Effective Tech Leader

The ascent and importance of the senior tech leader has been particularly noticeable as every company moves towards becoming a tech company.

Whilst not very long ago the tech team might have been operating in a silo now the picture is very different as the quality of the senior tech leaders in a company becomes business critical and with 2020 throwing us more challenges than we might have wanted to face, the quality of tech leadership becomes ever more important.

When there is a project with a particular department, in case of Tech companies it becomes a little difficult to handle the team. This is why Tech leaders have to build the skills needed to manage the team and direct them towards a vision, particularly challenging during these days of remote work.

This article looks at 5 of the key traits needed to become an effective and accomplished tech leader.  Because tech leadership is not a natural skill, even to those who achieve senior roles. They have specialised in the technical but don’t always transition smoothly to the different set of skills, language, diplomacy and people management required as the tech leader.

Team Building And Handling

You need to know how to build a high performing team. The ability to find and effectively manage talented people is critical for success as a leader and with tech being so crucial to the success of most businesses, it’s perhaps one of the key ingredients.  The senior tech leader needs to spot talent and integrate them into a cohesive team unit.

They must have the ability to handle the team in such a way that all work is done in harmony. Team building and handling is a skill, it’s a people management skill. Like any skill, those who are good at it make it look easy but managing an eclectic and talented group of people requires highly effective leadership skills.

Taking Accurate And Timely Decisions

Taking the right decisions at the right time is like creating your own luck, it’s 90% preparation and moving quickly when the opportunity strikes.

Technology changes so rapidly but if the business has a clear vision and the tech leaders understand what’s required to achieve that vision, then decision making becomes easier.

Those leaders who are always reactive are a recipe for disaster.

The tech leader should have that ability to make quick decisions. Not just taking decisions quickly but decisions on the right time is something that has to be developed.

Strong Communication Skills

Such an important trait to master and most importantly, communication skills with people who are not technical. The effective tech leader needs to understand how to communicate complex information in a concise and clear way, in a language that particular audience will understand. They need to become communicative chameleons.

In addition their communication needs to be honest, transparent and have integrity without which trust is soon lost amongst the team and wider stakeholders.

Also the culture of the company and how you manage feedback, the way people articulate or raise key issues is crucial. That comes from the top. The cultural guard rails of a company set in stone very early.

Understand The Team And Build Trust

Team dynamics and cohesion also comes from knowing your people, understanding their idiosyncrasies and personal pressure and building a culture of trust.

Empathy and emotional intelligence are super important traits to becoming an effective tech leader.

They should be very understanding and give every team member the opportunity and channels to communicate and have input to the direction of travel.

Everyone needs to feel empowered.

If the leader understands his team members, the trust factor comes hand in hand. The moment team members feel understood by the leader, the trust and commitment will follow.

When there is trust, most issues can be negotiated.

Being A Visionary

For any task to be completed or any goal to be achieved we need to have a vision.

When you have a vision about what needs to be done and how the plan will be executed, walking on that path becomes easier.

When the leader has a vision, the team members also walk on the same path. In this manner the working always points towards the company’s enhancement and success in every way. Company’s growth is what everyone looks forward to and that is achieved.

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