Tech Leaders Coach

Great observations about the power of open-ended questions: * What problem are we really trying to solve here? * What is the desired customer outcome? * What will we not do if we do this?

Go beyond “leading” and ignite the innovation of your team. It’s much simpler to solve every problem that arises and leverage your team as the group that executes, but consider the solutions and innovations you miss out on by not allowing your team to work together to innovate. One of my clients, a CTO at a rapidly growing startup, initially struggled with constantly telling his team the best way to refactor the product he’d built to demonstrate market viability. He didn’t realize that his detailed instructions stifled the team's creativity and slowed their progress. As he pivoted towards a more curiosity-based leadership style, he noticed significant improvements in engagement and was pleasantly surprised by the innovative approaches and increased team velocity. Within months, his team delivered a more scalable product ahead of schedule with creative solutions, and team satisfaction scores skyrocketed. He had moved beyond simply “leading” and was now cultivating a team that was true stakeholders in their work and, as a result, higher performing. You have to ask yourself: if you were on the team, which of these two approaches would help you thrive at work?

Successful leaders don't leave their leadership style to chance. They reflect on their self-perception and also gather feedback from others. Enhancing your leadership presence will be essential to transitioning from technical expert to strategic leader. This will increase your team's innovation, productivity, and harmony while remaining aligned with the company’s values. These results don't happen by chance; instead, they result from targeted reflection and a measurable growth plan to accelerate your leadership impact. How many managers have you worked under who only considered their own agenda and weren’t dedicated to team health or development?? How did this affect your productivity? Or did it lead you to look for another position? Now that you are in a leadership position on a team, you have a responsibility to rewrite the script. Foster an environment of innovation and curiosity. Allow space for your team to become true stakeholders in the success of projects. Learn to balance project timelines with new ideas. And, be very clear with yourself about the type of leader you want to be.

Leadership isn't about knowing everything; it's about creating an environment where others can flourish. As leaders, our behavior sets the tone for the entire team. When you have stepped into a leadership role, you must shift from technical expert to strategic leader. This journey is ongoing and requires continuous reflection, adjustment, and growth. As you reflect on your leadership style, consider: --How can you ask more and tell less? --What's one question you could start asking more often? --How can I use this moment as a catalyst for growth within my team? Remember, leadership is more than having all the answers. Asking the right questions can help you cultivate an environment where your team can discover innovative solutions together and thrive. If you or your team are struggling with these challenges, let’s connect and strategize on ways to elevate your leadership approach.

🚀 Tech Leaders: Is Your Expertise Holding You Back? As you transition from technical expert to strategic leader, your greatest strength can become your biggest weakness. In my latest blog post, I explore why technical experts often struggle in leadership roles and how "asking more than telling" can transform your leadership style. Key insights: - The hidden costs of the "telling" approach - Curiosity as a leadership superpower - Practical strategies for developing your "asking" muscles - Building a culture of innovation through questions Are you ready to unlock your team's potential and drive innovation? The next breakthrough might be just one question away. Read the full article here:🔗 https://bit.ly/3LELY4d

Do you have a leadership blindspot? I did. Early in my transition from technical expert to a leadership role, I tended to jump in with solutions and advice, often recommending what I thought was the best path forward for my team. In one particularly uncomfortable meeting, I took over, disregarded my team's work, and told the team what to do despite no longer being in the position to recommend the best solution. The surprised look on their faces told me I'd just made a classic leadership mistake. Instead of approaching the team members and the problem with curiosity, I'd fallen into the trap of telling rather than asking. At the moment, I wanted a do-over. I've guided well over 100 leaders through similar challenges as they grow to more senior roles on this crucial leadership lesson: asking questions is more powerful than giving answers. Asking questions instead of giving answers can propel innovation and improve team culture. Here are a few strategies that have worked for me and my clients: 𝟭. 𝗞𝗲𝗲𝗽 𝗮 𝗹𝗶𝘀𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗴𝗼-𝘁𝗼 𝗾𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗱𝘆, 𝘀𝘂𝗰𝗵 𝗮𝘀: "What is the real challenge here?" "If this problem was solved, what would change?" “If you had every resource you need and no roadblocks, what would you do?” "What's the unsayable, the thing that we're not saying?" 𝟮. 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗸𝘆 𝗻𝗼𝘁𝗲𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘀𝗲 𝗾𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗺𝗼𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗼𝗿 𝗼𝗿 𝗱𝗲𝘀𝗸 𝘁𝗼 𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂. 𝟯. 𝗣𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗮𝘀𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻 𝗹𝗼𝘄-𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲𝘀 𝘀𝗶𝘁𝘂𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀, 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗳𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗼𝘂𝘁𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗰𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗺𝗲𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀. 𝟰. 𝗔𝘀𝗸 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗰𝗲𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝘀𝘁𝘆𝗹𝗲, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗯𝗲 𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝗶𝗻𝗽𝘂𝘁. Avoid making the classic leadership mistake I did by approaching your team and challenges with curiosity. Asking insightful questions can spark creativity, inspire innovation, and create an environment where every team member feels valued and empowered to contribute their best ideas.

Your technical prowess and expertise have earned you a leadership position–a natural progression, right? 1. You see a problem. 2. You know the solution (you're the expert, after all). 3. You tell your team exactly what to do. While you solved an immediate issue, you may have unintentionally created a bigger problem. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗵𝗶𝗱𝗱𝗲𝗻 𝗰𝗼𝘀𝘁𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 "𝘁𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴" 𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗮𝗰𝗵 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗻𝘁: --Disempowerment: Your team feels they can't solve problems independently. --Reduced Innovation: You close off opportunities for creative problem-solving. --Stunted Growth: Team members miss crucial learning experiences. --Decreased Engagement: People invest less in solutions they didn't help create. The most powerful tool in a leader's arsenal isn't knowledge—it's curiosity. 𝗔𝗻 𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗽𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗲𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝗶𝘀 𝗮𝘀𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴. 𝗕𝘆 𝗮𝘀𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹: --Invite deeper explanations that help you understand their thought process. --Encourages thorough analysis and signals your trust and belief in their expertise. --Sparks creative thinking and can lead to innovative solutions. --Align expectations and ensure everyone is working towards the same goal. Start small. Lead by example. And actively seek new perspectives. Leading through curiosity will cultivate learning opportunities for your team, empower collaboration, and help fuel innovation.

As leaders, our instinct is to solve problems. You know the answer and a customer deadline looms. It can seem easier to TELL your team the answers. But with this approach, you’re missing the chance to empower your team to innovate, develop and grow. A better solution is to consider the power of curiosity and asking questions. —Curiosity empowers your team to find creative solutions. —Asking the right questions allows your team to process and add their expertise to the conversation. When asking more than telling, we SHOW our team that we value their perspectives and contributions. Approaching each other with curiosity leads to improved productivity, more innovation, and better outcomes. It is easier to tell your team what to do, but consider the ripple effect of showing them how asking more than telling can create a positive impact and show them instead. #Leadership #Teams #Curiousity

The journey from technical expert to strategic leader isn't a quick leap—it's a thoughtful climb. One-off training or inspiring talks can spark ideas, but real growth needs sustained effort. If you want to truly evolve, consider crafting a strategic growth plan that includes: --Assessing where you and your team stand now --Envisioning your ideal future state of leadership and team dynamics --Setting intentional goals with a focused action plan to make it a reality Remember, peak performance isn't built overnight. It's cultivated through consistent, purposeful action. Sometimes, having a guide who's navigated this path can make all the difference in your journey. #Leadership #Development #StrategicGrowth

You want your team to speak up. But are they actually doing it? Many leaders think they encourage open communication. Yet, their teams may remain silent on the things that matter. Here's how to actually get your team talking, according to a recent HBR article: https://https://bit.ly/4bpcEAd 1. Show you genuinely want to hear diverse perspectives 2. Ask specific questions to invite input 3. Understand and respect individual communication styles 4. Use your influence to amplify quieter voices 6. Give credit where it's due These practical steps can help you create a team culture where everyone contributes. What is your experience with encouraging open dialogue within your team? Share your experiences below! 👇 #Leadership #HighPerformingTeams #Communication #InclusiveLeadership