Why leaders need more than technical ability

Competence in a technical field is a useful advantage for any leader. Technical expertise helps leaders establish credibility, offer valuable knowledge to others and demonstrate ‘doing’ skills from the start. Leaders with technical ability are well-positioned to be strong role models, able to embrace the innovations and technological advancements that underpin business success.

However, the complex challenges of today’s workplace demand more. Increasingly, leaders must expand their skillsets beyond technical competence to address workplace wellbeing and culture with the same proficiency. Technical expertise alone is not enough to achieve sustainable impact. To achieve this goal, leaders must maintain their technical ability and master the skills of an inspiring leader.

Pitfalls of the technician

It is easy to spot the technical expert who has been promoted to a leadership role but who has not made a seamless or effective transition from doing to leading. So many times, I have seen clinicians, accountants, salespeople, lawyers and other professionals promoted because of their outstanding technical expertise – only to see them flounder in leadership roles.

Maybe you recall working for a technocrat leader – the type of person who excels in a technical area but neglects their broader leadership responsibilities. While their technical ability may be admired, their impulse to handle everything personally can be hugely alienating to others.

These technocrat leaders fall into what I call the “give it here” trap. They have more knowledge, experience and technical skill than anyone else, so their instinct is to complete tasks themselves. They focus on doing things to a high standard but forget that the essence of their leadership role is to encourage the growth and development of others.

These leaders tend to take on the doing because it is their comfort zone and it appears efficient. Doing the job themselves is seemingly quicker, easier and more effective in producing a quality outcome. What is less obvious is the damaging impact on others that results from the “give it here” approach. Staff surveys and diagnostics will show that team members led by “give it here” leaders feel a lack of trust and a lack of encouragement to learn and develop their own capability.

I once recruited a board-level leader with expertise in business process analysis and applying technological solutions. These two skill areas were scarce within the organisation and our new recruit brought vital knowledge and experience. At an early stage, I noticed he had fallen into the “give it here” trap with the best of intentions.

I took him aside to discuss the two paths before him. The first was to have him write an excellent strategy which would make full use of his expert knowledge. The second was for him to take time to support the learning and growth of others who would develop the strategy and then would have more ownership in its implementation. I asked if our goal should be to have the best written strategy quickly or to build organisational capacity for the long term.

Setting out these two paths really brought home the need for him to maintain his own knowledge and technical skills so that he would be in the best position to facilitate the growth of expertise in others.

Developing leadership skills

The answer for the technocrat leader is therefore to master leadership skills with the same diligence applied to attaining technical expertise. Leadership and technical skills need parity of attention, investment and attainment if leaders are to fulfil their own potential, encourage excellence in others and contribute to achieving organisational goals.

Making a winning transition from technocrat to inspirational leader requires a shift in focus.  The key change is to expand beyond personal knowledge and skill to develop robust leadership skills in inspiring and motivating a team, managing change and cultivating collaboration.  Typically, skills in need of development may include communication, emotional insight, conflict management and providing meaningful, constructive feedback.   

Leaders who build both technical expertise and leadership excellence serve as strong role models, capable of inspiring loyalty, growth and commitment in others.