Leadership Skills for Technology Executives & Managers

I just got back from Orlando where I was on the program to deliver workshops on leadership skills for technology professionals. As a leadership expert I work with diverse industries and what I have noted after eighteen years working with CEO’s and leaders from each industry is what each industry has in common: the need for enhanced leadership skills.

The room was full of highly talented technology experts and yet they all had one major challenge in common- how to manage people with the new reality of fast pace of change and demographics. In my sessions I ask the audience to interact with me via text and the text questions that I received in this particular session were:

1. How do I as a Gen X leader manage upwards to my Zoomer bosses and then downwards to my Gen Y team?

My answer to this is that we have to employ the basics of leadership and then add sophisticated leadership skill to manage these dynamics. The basic leadership approach is to have a direct and results focused meeting with the Zoomer bosses about profitability, project status and productivity. Zoomers are very much about process and results. They are very open to hearing data and information on how they can improve these areas. It’s all in the approach. If a Gen X approaches a Zoomer with ” we have a problem with communication between our teams” the Zoomer hears, “I can’t do what you asked me to do” and there is no progress. Instead if a Gen X approaches the Zoomer and says, ” I have some ideas on how we can leverage the speed of innovation and results” the Zoomer hears, “we can go faster and do better” and now the Zoomer is listening.

When interacting with the Gen Y team often a Gen X leader will say, “my hands are tied by upper management” and what a Gen Y hears is “I don’t care enough to lobby for you, so suck it up” and the Gen Y disengages and starts to look for other opportunities. Instead if the Gen X leader says to the Gen Y team member, “I can relate to your frustration- things here probably don’t move as fast as you would like, however as your boss you have my commitment that I am focused on your success and future and I am working with my bosses to discuss your ideas” and the Gen Y hears, “I really care about you” and the Gen Y decides to stay engaged for a little bit longer.

Another question I am often asked is:

2. How do I keep my Gen Y’s engaged if the company is flat and there isn’t much opportunity for promotion?

The key here is being honest and providing a visual career path for the Gen Y. This should ideally start right at the hiring phase where in the interview you draw the reality of the flat company but you talk about the other forms of growth such as learning other aspects of the business as well as investing in their training and development. In Europe companies are beginning to pool their resources and share talent with other like minded industries. This allows for talent to stay within the industry and everyone wins because talent is being circulated within the industry, the Gen Y gets to grow and ultimately the Zoomer or Gen X leader is excelling at leading high performers.

These were just two of the questions- there were many more- I will be addressing these in future video segments as well as in this blog.

If you have a question for me regarding leadership, generational adaptation to change and technology and change in general please text me at 604 340 4700.