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Developing and keeping strong tech leaders require support from the organization as well as initiative and willingness from the leaders themselves. Successful leaders concentrate on growth, develop a deeper understanding of the business and industry, regularly upskill, and even take finance, marketing, and business courses to better understand how decisions are made. They also build relationships with internal and external stakeholders using soft skills such as active listening to understand their goals and perspectives. These leaders remain focused on outcomes to translate technology into business value.
Assessment plays a crucial role in supporting and fostering stronger leadership for companies. Behavioral interviews, 360-degree performance reviews, and assessing potential can help identify individuals who could make strong leaders. Invest in formal leadership and mentorship training for existing and potential leaders to help develop and improve these skills. Coaching and training to promote inclusive cultures are also essential, as are ongoing support, technical training, and feedback. Tech leaders can shadow executives or other vital investors to equip themselves with blended skill sets and adopt an agile leadership model, which emphasizes collaboration and agility.
Influential tech leaders are critical to every organization, and they are expected to weave business and customer needs with deep technological expertise. Many organizations have found success under blended-skills leadership, including several tech giants. In early 2023, Susan Wojcicki stepped down as the CEO of YouTube after nine years. She had a broad background and diverse skill sets, even before she took charge of the world’s biggest video-sharing website. Wojcicki was Google’s 16th employee, its first marketing manager, the progenitor of AdSense, and ran Google’s video service before pushing for the company’s 2006 acquisition of YouTube. Her time at Google gave her skills and experience beyond technical expertise, but so did her education. Wojcicki studied history and literature at Harvard before receiving a master’s degree in economics and an MBA.
Satya Nadella, Microsoft’s current CEO, has worked for the company since 1992 and held many leadership roles before stepping up to head the company in 2014. In more than 30 years with the company, he served as vice president of Microsoft’s business division, led the online services division’s R&D team, and was executive vice president of the cloud and enterprise group, which was responsible for the Azure cloud platform and SQL server database. With a degree in electrical engineering, master’s degrees in computer science and business administration, and an extensive background at Microsoft, Nadella’s technical and business knowledge is deep. Both Nadella and those who know and work with him place a high value on his soft skills. In a 2014 Wired article, colleagues and coworkers praise Nadella’s grace and thoughtfulness, describing him as a collaborator who seeks to understand and connect with people. “I would say the source of all innovation is what is the most humane quality that we all have, which is empathy,” Nadella told the Harvard Business Review in a 2021 interview.
Because of the integral role technology plays across every facet of nearly every business, it is essential that the capabilities of technology leaders expand beyond technical expertise and into business, strategy, and human behavior. Without these blended capabilities, leaders struggle to meet the increasing breadth, complexity, and pace of technology change and adoption. Many of the most successful technical leaders have combined their diverse backgrounds and skill sets with technical knowledge and strategic vision to deliver the large-scale innovations that are now household names. The ability to merge a variety of technical, business, and leadership skills distinguishes those who can navigate complexity and drive strategic transformation. Developing these blended skills is crucial for technology leaders looking to create a real impact within their organizations and beyond.
Sushil Kumar is a technology program manager and digital transformation expert with decades of experience in leading and scaling state-of-the-art technology solutions in the defense, banking, insurance, and airline industries. A well-recognized thought leader, he is currently managing large technology projects for county government organizations in the greater Los Angeles area. Kumar holds a Master of Technology degree and received his MBA degree at the University of Southern California Marshall School of Business. He is also a recipient of the prestigious Global Indian Award – 2023. Connect with Sushil Kumar at trinetra5@hotmail.com or on LinkedIn.
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