Top 25 Habits of Technology Leaders
To be a great technology leader, simply having amazing ideas or delivering cutting-edge products is not enough. Those who we recognize as the best in their field have practical requirements that influence their success or failure. In this article, we will look at the top traits of business leaders. The list is in no particular order of importance.
1.Inspires and Motivates
Every leader is in a position of power because they can inspire and motivate those around them. This means they can help other people connect what they do with the impact it has on customers and communities as well as themselves.
2. Integrity and Honesty
Leaders must also be truthful to the people around them and those outside the business. Whilst they might not like the answers, it is important to tell the story as it is.
3. Solves problems
The best leaders can solve and analyze issues and take advantages of opportunities within the marketplace. Even the best ideas need to display their value at providing a genuine real-world solution.
4. Understands team balance
Tech leaders realize that they don’t necessarily have to be the smartest person in the room all the time if they surround themselves with people that are. They form a team of skilled, intelligent and creative individuals.
5. Communicates constantly
Those at the top of the ladder can explain complex ideas in a way that everyone can understand and relate to. Whilst technology can be difficult to comprehend, they need to make it appear simple.
6. Listens, Listens, Listens...
The best tech leaders listen to ideas and are open to suggestions. They are available to brainstorm and they apply sound decision models to move ahead. They validate and encourage voices from everywhere.
7. Obsessed with customer needs
Every decision that a leader makes must put the customer first. Ultimately, they are what makes your business work and without them you won’t survive. In the technology world, this is even more important than most sectors given such a dynamic environment.
8. Has confidence in the team
Having trust in everyone around you breeds success. It is important for tech leaders to form personal connections with the people they associate with to make their vision happen.
9. Has a clear mission
How are people supposed to behave if the leader does not have a clear mission? The company mission statement should be thought out and defined. This will then be echoed through every element of the business strategy.
10. Has a clear strategy for future Vision
The best tech leaders don’t concern themselves only what is going on now but can think much further down the line. Leaders can motivate others to work towards what seem like incredibly lofty and sometimes unrealistic goals.
11. Owns the company culture
The culture of a company is ultimately derived from how the leader acts. It is important to hire people that fit the culture rather than simply picking those with the longest list of qualifications. People can learn skills but it is sometimes difficult to fundamentally change how they operate in a culture.
12. Follows tremendous work ethic
The multi-billion tech leaders we see today haven’t just had it handed to them on a plate. They will work endless hours to make things happen and most probably started without even taking a salary. If leaders can show their passion through work ethic, others will follow.
13. Constantly looking for feedback to correct any mistake
This doesn’t just mean that they need to be “Yes Men” as that will never work out. Those in leadership positions need to understand that sometimes their talented developers know better than them. Tech leaders should be good at accepting constructive criticism.
14. Delegates effortlessly
It would be crazy for tech leaders to think that they can do everything themselves. Whilst they have a strong work ethic, it is important to let that trust element shine through when they can and delegate work out to their trusted teams.
15. Walks the talk
The leaders who might top your list of the best will always strive to act on what they say. Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg and the like will never shirk the cynics and still try to deliver the product or service they dream of. Always try to do what you say.
16. Willing to take risks
Ok, it would be wrong to continually take risks, but the best leaders are calculated in how they approach decisions. Sometimes, even though the pros don’t stack up they will still take a chance and trust their intuition. Some risks will pay off and some won’t but you never know unless you take a bit of a punt.
17. Helping people on the ground
Tech leaders need to do all they can to help their people achieve their goals. It is not all about them as leader, everybody has their own individual vision as well. Your people will be far more motivated if they can achieve their personal goals and tie that back to the company vision.
18. Being a Leader not just an expert
It is vital to stay ahead of the game and analyze the market. However, you are doing this to ensure you can lead others down the right path rather than doing it all yourself.
19. Self-awareness - Reflects on a daily basis
If you ask any of the great tech leaders, they will be able to tell you in detail what their strengths and weaknesses are. In fact, the chances are they are very familiar with their weaknesses and have learned new skills to counteract those.
20. Takes a fair call
Common sense perhaps tells you that treating everyone fairly is tantamount to success. This goes for your staff, business stakeholders and even competitors and external environment.
21. Ethical with decision making
This one probably goes hand-in-hand with being fair, but ethics is hugely important if you want to be seen as one of the great tech leaders. Just look at the problems Mark Zuckerberg had with Cambridge Analytica if you want to remember what happens when this goes wrong.
22. Learns continuously
In the digital age, technology does not stop changing. Tech leaders need to always have their finger on the pulse and look out for the next big thing. It is no surprise that the big companies (Google, Amazon, Microsoft, Facebook, Apple) are all releasing similar products in the last few years.
23. Builds and nurtures talent
Tech leaders can see things in people that others can’t and will strive to build that pool of talent. The likes of Google offer very exclusive training schemes for these types of people
24. Creates conditions to experiment
Leaders won’t always know whether their ideas are going to work. It is important to give their people the right platform to experiment with ideas and think intelligently to make things happen. People should be encouraged and not punished for trying things even if they do sometimes go wrong.
25. Enables collaboration across boundaries
You need everyone in your business to work together to drive success. Companies with siloes are self-destructive when it comes to innovation and only serve to promote an “it’s not my job” type attitude.
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