Leader Expectations Archives

Key Qualities Tech Execs Look for In Leaders

Tech executives seek key qualities in leaders within the dynamic tech industry. It is crucial to identify knowledgeable and skilled individuals capable of effectively managing teams, fostering growth, and generating innovative solutions. As the tech industry continues to evolve and expand, so do the expectations for its leaders.

One key quality that tech executives look for in potential leaders is adaptability. In an ever-changing landscape, it is essential to have leaders who can pivot quickly and adjust to new technologies, trends, and challenges. The ability to adapt also extends to managing teams and adapting leadership styles based on individual personalities and needs.

Another crucial quality sought after by tech executives is a strong vision. Leaders must have a clear understanding of where they want their team or company to go and how they plan to get there. A strong vision inspires and motivates team members, drives innovation, and guides decision-making processes.

In addition to adaptability and vision, here are other key qualities tech execs value:

Strong Communication Skills – Tech executives prioritize strong communication skills in leaders. Coherent articulation ensures team alignment and focus. Leaders must clearly convey their vision, processes, and goals to all employees, encouraging feedback and effective communication with diverse groups. Excellent communication skills give candidates an edge in joining tech executive teams.

Innovative Thinking – Innovation drives today’s tech industry. Tech executives seek leaders who think creatively, solve challenges, and recognize others’ ideas. Building the right teams and motivating them towards a common goal is invaluable.

Results-driven Mentality – Tech execs desire leaders who deliver results. They expect proactive leaders who take ownership of projects, ensuring on-time completion. Candidates who prioritize workloads, meet objectives, and proactively problem-solve are valued. Resolving challenges, such as tight budgets, limited resources, and deadlines, is highly desirable in an executive role.

Interpersonal Skills – Tech executives prioritize leaders who can effectively work in teams, handle stress calmly, and create a positive work environment. Emphasizing empathy and strong interpersonal communication skills, they value inclusive and diverse workplaces when hiring.

Technical Skills – In technology-related roles, technical skills are vital, but leaders who grasp industry trends and applications are also highly valued by tech executives. Effective leadership in a tech firm requires a broad understanding of the industry, complemented by expertise in specific verticals. The combination of technical knowledge and business acumen leads to effective leadership.

In summary, tech execs value diverse qualities in leaders. To position yourself for technology leadership roles, hone essential skills like strong communication, innovation, results-driven thinking, interpersonal skills, and technical knowledge. Cultivating these skills elevates your career.

Click here for a post on skills needed for the virtual workplace.

As a Tech Exec, Your Reputation Counts

Becoming a tech exec is the ultimate achievement after years of diligently crafting and enhancing your reputation. Your reputation holds significant value, serving as a cornerstone for your career and personal brand. Your reputation counts.

As an influential leader, you have the talent to foster teams, stay updated with technology, and collaborate seamlessly with peers and executives. Your dedicated efforts have built an esteemed reputation, but it’s crucial to recognize the potential consequences of a misstep that could jeopardize all you’ve achieved.

Being mindful of organizational circumstances is crucial.

In hierarchical companies, leaders closely monitor progress, resulting in less career impact. However, in flat organizations like the Big 4, changing teams or roles carries significant risks that can affect reputation.

Imagine this: You’re a tech executive in a leading Cyber Advisory team at a renowned Big 4 company. With a strong software engineering background, you excel in sales and delivering Cyber services. Now, you eagerly showcase your expertise to enhance software consulting. They show interest and smoothly transition you into the Consulting Cloud Engineering team.

Transitioning into consulting without a network can the new leadership team may not actively seek your involvement, making connections and obtaining work more difficult.

Facing a challenging situation, you take charge of a less glamorous assignment outside your expertise. With confidence, you step up. But the project quickly becomes unexpectedly complex as personalities clash. It turns out to be a disastrous first assignment in Consulting. While the client’s responsible Partner acknowledges it’s not your fault, the Consulting Partner who assigned you disagrees.

The Consulting leadership team doubts your capabilities due to your departure announcement. Consequently, they won’t assign you any projects, heightening your desperation to secure a critical one. Meeting your annual targets depends on it. The situation grows more dire.

At some point, you face a tough choice: leave or risk being forced out. It’s disheartening, especially without a support system. Despite your experience, the leadership prioritizes only immediate outcomes. If you had faced a similar situation in the Cyber team, you would have received the necessary support to overcome this setback and transition to your next success.

Exercise caution and exercise prudence in thoroughly assessing new assignments before taking the leap. While you may possess confidence in your abilities, the unexpected can always occur. Your reputation counts and you don’t want to damage it with a misstep.

Click here for a post on moving from a corporate position to consulting.

Tech Executive Power – Don’t Use it to Harm Others

I was reading the book, “The 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene.” And although this is a really good book that a budding tech exec needs to read, I’m also saddened by it.

The book emphasizes the importance of executives mastering the 48 laws of power to achieve success. These laws shed light on cunning techniques, such as ensnaring a fellow leader to undermine their influence, that many may find distasteful.

To pursue a successful tech executive path to the top, it’s crucial to comprehend the principles outlined in this book. Effective leaders utilize these techniques, which have been proven to work. However, it doesn’t imply that you must apply them exactly as described in the book, especially the historical examples that highlight similar approaches to advancement or removing obstacles in your path. Remember, adaptability is key.

Reality is that many leaders reach where they are because they crave and use power in order to be successful.

Power techniques can be ruthless, and many inexperienced leaders will struggle to deploy these. However, even if you don’t use them, knowing that others do will help you avoid the pitfalls.

Click here for a post on finding your leadership style.

Becoming a Change Agent

As a tech exec, what actions can you take to drive transformative change within your company? While challenging, cultivating a sense of patience and persistence is key to effectively driving change.

To succeed, it is vital to exhibit courage and channel your focus towards the implementation of the following tactics:

Start with yourself

As humans, we all experience the force of inertia, influencing our decisions. By examining our choices, we can uncover any biases and proactively mitigate the negative impact of inertia. This empowers us to formulate effective strategies for overcoming its effects.

Recognize inertia

Identify areas within your organization, department, or project where inertia has set in. Assess how this hinders the organization’s ability to attain the desired change.

Develop change buy in

The success of change initiatives hinges on your ability to share and explore novel ideas with others. Collaborating with peers and introducing these concepts can accelerate transformative efforts within your area of responsibility. Technical professionals often struggle to influence change due to limited control over decision-making. However, employing a collaborative approach fosters buy-in. By cultivating an environment of engaged and respectful collaboration that encompasses diverse perspectives, you can effectively prompt others to embrace fresh ideas.

Influence others to change

Having an influential stakeholder as an ally wields immense power. They can drive the case for change, reinforce messages, create incentives, and accelerate behavior modifications. However, change is not achieved through power and force alone. Many technical professionals lack the authority to enforce compliance. The most effective approach is to foster an environment of collaboration and learning to create lasting change.

Implementing cultural change management can be a significant challenge, as organizations often cling to the comfort of familiar practices. However, with perseverance and a consistent approach, the long-term benefits will outweigh the initial resistance. It is vital to keep pushing forward while ensuring that you maintain positive relationships and avoid alienating others.

Tech Executive Matching Personalities

To excel in your tech executive career, focus on connecting with others by matching personalities during interactions. The key lies in grasping and adjusting to their unique communication styles and personalities. This is important because people like people who are like them. You don’t want to be phony because you want to be your authentic self. However, you also want to be able to adapt and communicate effectively with different types of people.

One way to connect with others is by understanding the four main personality types: dominant, influential, steady, and conscientious. Dominant individuals tend to be assertive and direct in communication, while influential individuals are outgoing and persuasive. Steady individuals are more reserved and cooperative, while conscientious individuals are analytical and detail oriented.

Once you have identified someone’s primary personality type, try mirroring their style of communication.

For example, if you are interacting with a dominant individual, be direct and concise in your messaging. If you are communicating with an influential person, use storytelling techniques or appeal to their emotions. For steady individuals, take a more patient and empathetic approach, and for conscientious individuals, provide them with logical reasoning and evidence.

It is also important to understand that individuals may have a blend of different personality types. In this case, it is best to adapt your communication style based on the situation and the person’s current behavior.

Encouraging authentic self-expression is important. However, adapting communication style and using similar terms when interacting with others can lead to favorable outcomes and effective connections.

For example, in sales, conducting thorough research on clients prior to meetings is crucial. Learning about their interests, including any charitable involvement, can be an effective conversation opener. By understanding their communication style, you can adjust your approach to establish rapport, encourage openness, and foster a sense of commonality in how you communicate.

This technique can also be applied to your boss. Utilize the same approach to build a positive rapport with your leader. Conflicting personalities tend to clash, hindering progress. To advance in your career, it is crucial to comprehend your boss’s working style.

In our upcoming posts, we will delve into the fascinating realm of business chemistry. This scientifically grounded approach offers valuable insights in discerning a person’s distinct personality type. Stay tuned for an exploration of this intriguing topic!

It’s crucial to acknowledge that mirroring or understanding a tech executive’s style boosts the chances of gaining their acceptance.

Click here to see a post on aligning your personality with peers in order to be successful.