Here's how you can smoothly transition from a technical role to a leadership position in late career.

To switch from a tech role to leadership role, one must get a good orientation on business and other functions. The person must be open to learning business strategy, process reengineering and specific tools required for the leadership role.

Grooming is essential to move from a technical role to a leadership role. While the former role does not involve people management, business responsibilities etc., the latter does. The person will have to be hand held for a period of say 6 months to 1 year and trained on the job to understand the nuances of a leadership role. Hand holding and exposure will help a lot in this transition. Having said that, people in technical roles are rarely able to cope up with the pressures of a leadership role as they are mentally boxed and not open to take up a different type of challenge.

Embrace a mindset of life-long learning and a genuine curiosity to better understand how a company or a department is run. Embark in training and acquire new skills, while you also (1) engage with managers you interact with, see them in action and analyze what leadership skills they apply (2) ponder the financial impact in the short, mid, and long term, of decisions being made (3) volunteer to initiatives where being part of a smaller group will give you a closer perspective to management. Use all this exposure to reflect on and anchor your learnings.

In my opinion, learning and preparing yourself to lead is an important step. However, first, ask yourself why do you want to be a leader? The answer should be that you truly care about people. You want to help them in their lives, their careers, and their success. Because if you don’t care about people, you aren't prepared to lead.

Find a mentor or a coach who has experience with these transitions and where you went to go, accountability is key especially when it seems to be taking too long. You need to learn the “why” of the business and provide solutions not just in the how. Terms and skills around ROI and budgets will be key as well. Moving to the next level is about influence and achieving through others.

One of the core essence of late career switch to leadership: Network outside your comfort zone! Expand your circle: Connect with leaders – learn from their journeys! Attend industry events & join professional groups, find networking opportunities to establish yourself as a leader, and connect with industry leaders. Cross-pollination: Volunteer for cross-departmental projects. Use this opportunity to broaden your network. Be careful this could turn out to be a double sided sword if not managed well. Leverage your past: Reconnect with school/college alumni/professors. They can be powerful connectors to industry leaders. Lastly, don't hesitate to reach out for help, for the fear of rejection. Remember, you may not even know who can offer help.

Attending events around topics of your interest or where you have a certain experience will provide good contacts you can follow and nurture. When you post your take on a topic, eg on LinkedIn or on your company’s internal network, always tag the individuals whose ideas helped you form yours, whose feedback made you question your assumptions or whose experience aligns with yours. Be creative in how you can give back to them, eg test their code and share your findings, recommend a hidden gem in your common city, or offer a hand to an association or group they care about.

Except very few, rest who are competent and yet in Engineering mindset needs to be allowed to be part of Networking. At least inside an Organization : Individual : Change your Boss once in 2 years with his blessing. Companies : Rotate the Resource out of any boss once in 2 years. Result : Exposure, Unlearning, Feel light to float to leadership.

Most of these transitions are no binary: fully technical one day and then fully leadership the next. Walk, don't run to learn your new skills.

Put yourself out there and you’ll find more often than not people will respond and answer questions as long as you are genuine, curious, and prepared. Have a set of “ice breaker” questions or comments ready for conferences, lunch and learns, and other social/professional events. Take contact info and follow up with an observation or question that has to do with your initial meeting or conversation. Be curious. I went to an AI symposium recently and ended up being invited as a guest speaker because of the questions I asked from a business use perspective.

For me I knew I had poor soft skills, so I made an effort in developing them, though forced group engagement, focused path of MBA to focus on soft skills and really developing my empathy. It helped me a lot, but something I have to continue to work on. Joining an exercise group and MBA were my key to developing, as well as forced presentations to large groups.

Many people get promoted to leadership roles but they are ill-equipped in this role. Leadership requires one to have not just technical knowledge but also great soft skills. This means having an approachable demeanour and a person who listens and gives great advice. I’ve had first hand experience where I left the role due to bad manager and the environment was toxic. As the saying goes: “People leave due to bad managers” Ensure you identify these qualities in a person before promoting them into a leadership role.

Soft skills são essenciais quando tratamos de gestão de pessoas, seja tecnologia ou não. Algumas pessoas já têm um talento natural para liderar, outras desenvolvem. Acredito que um dos caminho para se desenvolver seja através da leitura de livros sobre o tema (Radical Candor, A Regra é Não ter Regras etc), e também procurar especializações na área, como MBA em gestão de tecnologia, onde as disciplinas de soft skills são super relevantes.

focus on the following four soft skills (use a coach to help you and fast track your development): Self-awareness is essential (Understand your strengths, weaknesses, and communication style. Reflect on how you interact with others and seek feedback to improve) | Learning agility is crucial for adaptability. (Stay curious, embrace change, and be open to new ideas and approaches) | Effective communication is vital (Hone your ability to convey complex information clearly, and prioritize active listening and empathy) | Motivating others involves inspiring and empowering your team (Recognize their achievements and provide constructive feedback).

Transitioning from a technical position to a leadership role late in your career requires to LEAN INTO your experience, versus your expertise. Forget your double down on a specific technology (coding, infra, innovation) and refocus on your storytelling of your involvement and engagement in specific high-profile projects and programs. Your goal is to showcase how all of your experience, and all of your stories translate to leadership and mentorship opportunities for a broader team to embrace.

El desarrollo del pensamiento estratégico es crucial para la transición de un puesto técnico a un puesto de liderazgo. Los líderes deben ver el panorama general y establecer objetivos a largo plazo. Comprender cómo opera la organización y cómo compite en el mercado es fundamental. Aprender a anticipar tendencias de la industria y su impacto en la empresa te permitirá contribuir efectivamente a la estrategia organizacional. Este enfoque te ayuda a alinear las iniciativas de tecnología con los objetivos empresariales. La clave está en pasar de un pensamiento orientado a la tarea a uno orientado a la visión, lo cual es esencial para un liderazgo eficaz.

O desenvolvimento do pensamento estratégico é essencial para sua atuação como líder de tecnologia. Sua companhia possui objetivos definidos e, como líder, é fundamental compreender as direções que a empresa está tomando para alcançá-los. Com essa visão clara, você e sua equipe podem colaborar de forma eficaz, traçando a estratégia de aplicação da tecnologia para impulsionar o sucesso da empresa.

From a technical perspective, you're going to spend $15 or more dollars for every $1 you spend on development. So, wise technicians are long-term thinkers.

Se você hoje é um engenheiro, recomendo que gradualmente assuma responsabilidades de liderança. Comece atuando como líder técnico e peça para participar, mesmo que como ouvinte, de reuniões estratégicas, mesmo que sejam apenas no âmbito da tecnologia. Adote uma postura proativa dentro de sua equipe, ajudando a solucionar problemas técnicos e não técnicos. Tudo isso, aos poucos, contribuirá para criar uma bagagem sólida e experiência valiosa.