From Tech Expert to Strategic Leader

The Scenario

I want to introduce you to a fictional friend of mine named Darren. Darren graduated from college 10 years ago with a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science and has always had an affinity for coding. He has been with the same company for the past 5 years and was promoted to team lead last year. The Director that Darren reported to has decided to take a new role at another company, and Darren is considering applying for the open slot. So far, Darren has had a stellar 5 years with the company and feels like he would be a good fit for the director's position. Additionally, other Director's in the company have told Darren that he has been an excellent technical resource and the company really needs more people like him.

The Question: What Should Darren Do?

There are some key points that Darren should consider regarding this potential new role. Here are some of the things I would think about if I were him.

Being great at solving technical problems doesn’t automatically prepare you to drive organizational outcomes. As a leader, a key aspect of your role is your ability to achieve results through others. However, people are complex and don't respect what you expect. Rather, they respect what you inspect. You have to be willing to get up from behind the keyboard and get out and talk to people to ensure there is team alignment between strategy and execution.

What got you here won't get you there. In Marshall Goldsmith's great book "What Got You Here, Won't Get You There," the author posits that sometimes, when we are successful, we become a bit delusional about who we are and what we are capable of. We take on the new responsibility without appreciating the fact that we may need more preparation or a mindset shift to be successful in the new role.

The shift from expert to leader is more than a new title—it’s a mindset transformation. As a heads-down developer, Darren was responsible for delivering working software code artifacts that aligned with the requirements he was given. If the requirements were wrong and the end solution didn't work as expected because of that, that's not Darren's problem. As a leader, Darren must shift his thinking and own the outcome. He needs to drive the processes, tools, and ways of working together that would help surface issues like this well in advance. That's what proactive leaders do.

Change the way you see the world

The Identity Shift

You might be wondering what I mean by a mindset shift. As a heads-down software developer, I was focused on delivering working software that met a business requirement. I never asked the bigger questions about why we had that need or if the need was valid. I was essentially an order taker. When I got my first promotion to running a delivery team responsible for delivering software solutions to law enforcement agencies at Motorola, I learned that there was a bigger picture that I had better understand very quickly if I wanted to stay employed. In addition to creating solutions, we had a business to run. Experts solve point problems; leaders define direction and mobilize people.

There will be times when you will need to let go of some of the typical tech-person behavior, either needing to always have the answer to the problem or immediately jumping into “solutioning” before we have given others the mental space to get their thoughts out. Strategic leaders prioritize helping the team drive business value, open and transparent communication, influence, and systems thinking. Your goal isn’t necessarily to do all of the hands-on work anymore. Instead, you should seek ways to achieve results through others and improve organizational execution through systemic thinking.

Strategic Thinking Over Tactical Fixes

As a former enlisted US Marine, I am all about getting it done. I was taught to work with my team and make it happen. As a team, we were taught to own the outcome. As I moved up the ranks I learned to appreciate the bigger picture. Strategic leaders have to zoom out in order to see the broader organizational patterns, trade-offs, and interpersonal dynamics.

For me, one of the primary ways of thinking that a strategic leader has to pivot to is the need to align strategy to execution. It is one thing to lay out a high-level vision. It is another to tie that vision to execution and motivate the team to deliver on it. For that, you have to anticipate change, manage stakeholders, and speak the language of business (not just tech).

There are some great books that can help you prepare for aligning strategy to execution in teams using OKRs. I personally like “Measure What Matters” by John Doerr. It's an older book, but it's foundational and definitely worth reading.

Building Influence and Achieving Results Through Others

As a leader, one of your primary roles is to achieve results through others. This is nearly impossible to do without soft skills. You need to be a great listener and skilled at working cross-functionally to get things done. If you are a finger-pointer and feel the need to blame others for the failure of the team, you may not be ready for the mantle of strategic leadership. Leaders own the outcome and work with others to drive the team towards success. Sometimes your teams get knocked down, and that's ok. The key is how many times your team gets back up.

Great leaders not only empower others but actively seek ways to help fellow team members gain the knowledge, skills, and abilities they need to advance to the next level.

Some Closing Thoughts

Our goal at techleaderplaybook.io is to help tech experts navigate the politics, the games, and the real organizational challenges that face tomorrow’s leaders. If you have read this article and feel like there is a wide gap between where you are and where you need to be, please know that leadership skills can be taught and learned. I have been told that the journey of a thousand miles begins with one step. Start small, observe, reflect, and work daily towards your goal.

What’s Next?

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