Leadership. A follow on
I got into a discussion recently about technical skills and leadership.
The person I debated with took the position that to be a great leader in a thing requires a technical knowledge of that thing. That is, the best leader of a function is one who has grown through that particular vertical and any other really has no place in setting any direction for the unit.
It’s the argument that hard skills (technical) are more important than soft skills (of which leadership is one).
I don’t agree and it compelled me to write this follow up to my most recent article, which is my take on leadership.
Being a leader doesn’t necessitate technical skills in the widgets the brand is marketing (whether that widget is a product or a service).
It does require respect and knowledge for the processes in producing the widget, and above all awareness, authenticity and courage in mobilising people, tapping into their motivation and making the greatest impact on the production as possible.
To start with, consider the breadth of work occurring in the delivery of any particular company or brand proposition to its markets.
There are specific technical skills in all functions of a company; marketing, sales, operations, logistics, finance, legal, customer service and the list can go on. Depending on the regulatory framework in which a company or brand exists, some of these are more highly regarded in terms of knowledge and experience.
From that point of view, being able to best ply your craft will obviously put you in better stead than those who don’t when it comes to achieving a position of leadership.
Even so, I still believe that the best leaders don’t need to be technical experts in neither function nor industry and to make my point, I present two reasons why I believe this.
First, how can a single leader of a department or even the CEO be technically adept at all of the functions they lead? Does a conductor know how to play all the instruments in an orchestra?
Is that even reasonable to expect? I’m not sure it is.
The reasonable expectation is that a leader has respect for each skill and function, perhaps a basic knowledge though most importantly, how they gel together with other functions to produce the outcome.
Some organisations, especially larger ones, practice promotion and rotation cycles, which seek (amongst other things) to develop management and leadership by exposing staff to different functional areas.
This is a solid concept and in my experience at least, works. Processes really aren’t that different at the base, no matter what the function or industry for that matter. Gather info, make decisions, execute the plan and check the results.
Second, and most importantly, what is the one constant in any function of a company?
People.
With all of their variant values, attitudes, motivations, needs, desires and behavior.
Knowledgeable and experienced people, who know their stuff, do it well and are right now turning the cranks in the machine.
They’re also looking to a leader for direction, vision, and they will produce more and achieve better outcomes irrespective of the origins or technical skill of that leader, so long as the leader has gained the trust, respect and belief of that team.
Trust, respect and belief are gained through specific concepts and actions; awareness, authenticity and courage.
That was the theme of my recent opinion on leadership and again, you can catch up on that here.
Against these ideas, in my opinion at least, it’s the leadership quality that will dominate any kind of technical skill in making the most impact and achieving the best outcomes from an expert, collaborative team.
Just two points may seem simplistic, though at the outset of deeper analysis, that really is as simple as I believe it is at the core.
To finish up, I've included links to a couple of articles that submit a similar position.
How successful CEOs make the jump from industry to industry https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/275370
These experts say CEOs from other industries make better leaders https://www.businessinsider.com.au/these-experts-say-ceos-from-other-industries-make-better-leaders-2013-6?r=US&IR=T
* David is an accomplished senior marketing leader with over 15 years experience leading the creation, design and management of integrated marketing and communications strategy.
With experience in verticals and brands that include consumer products and services (retail and trade), automotive, motorsport, transportation and entertainment, David lays claim to a strong record of achievement as a strategy-focused marketing and communications team leader and mentor.
Invite, Entertain, Interact, Experience, Engage, Motivate is David's mark and the ties that bind his MO for delivering his marketing craft.