Perspectives & Strategy

A couple of weeks ago I talked about the Thirteen Qualities of Leadership which skimmed over many of the qualities required for good leadership. Today I want to expand on just one of those qualities our ability to focus on the need of the business, and not simply demonstrating technical brilliance.

Irrespective of your technical background I have heard it said you are hired because of your technical brilliance but you remain employed because of your understanding of the needs of the business and your ability to contribute to appropriate growth in the organisation. This is particularly true with additional layers of seniority. A good technician can become a good manager, but in doing so it is necessary to move from the technical confines of your job to understanding how the business functions holistically.

There is a progression in many jobs from being a generalist in your field when you start working. In IT you may be taken on because of your general technical prowess. At that stage in your career you have little skill to support specialisation. People then tend to focus on a specialism, whether by accident or because they have a natural talent for a specific field. But then as one takes on supervisory or management roles it is necessary to put your speciality behind you in order to focus on the more general needs of the business. Your specialism may assist your management career.

From a career perspective being too specialised can (too technically brilliant) can limit your upward movement. This is something I did find in varying roles. Yet in some specialisms it is possible to leverage your technical skills for the holistic improvement of the company. My key skill was Business Intelligence, and as part of that I was able to focus on financial reporting needs, marketing analytics, activity based costing, sales analytics thus for me it was my specialism that brought holistic growth. I enjoyed bringing all of this together through a single source of the truth.

It is important to understand how other people’s roles fit into the corporate whole. Each person within the corporation should add value to the whole business. This is more that understanding that Joe has to complete a task before you can start it and that once you have completed it you pass it on to Mary. Don’t for one moment think that another person’s role is not as important as yours. We know that most organisations have ineffective processes if you do spot one then you can be sure that someone else has already seen it, think of a solution. Be a solution provider, even if it not your problem.

If there is one tip here it is to gain finance literacy, gain marketing literacy, gain operational literacy, gain a sales literacy. That is develop an understanding of each of these areas, not in order to change roles, an accountant’s role is not for everyone, but in order to enhance your value to the organisation. The finance aspect is of course of particular importance. I have known a few IT people who have taken the trouble to qualify as a chartered accountant, not in order to change roles, but in order to improve how they do their own job and the value they offer to their employer. Personally I qualified as a Lawyer to better understand the numerous compliance challenges.

It is important to continue to build knowledge in you own competency as you grow in other areas.

Reference Material:

How to think like a CEO by DA Benton

Are You Leadership Material? By Michael Harrison

Leadership development methods and tips by businessballs.com

So, are you leadership material? By: Melanie Menagh