Co-Founder Taliferro
Introduction
I love the opportunity to work with talented people and to be able to help them improve their skills. I also love how every day is different from the last one and how much can change in a short time when you are leading a team.
The most important thing for a technology leader is to find out the company's goal (what it wants to achieve) and then ask how I can help with this goal.
Technology leaders need to understand their customers
They need to know what they need and why they have those needs. The most important thing for a technology leader is to find out the company's goal (what it wants to achieve) and then ask how I can help with this goal.
Technology leaders should also be team players because, without a good team, you cannot deliver great products or services. Technology leaders must be problem solvers, and if there's something wrong in your organization, you should be able to fix it by yourself or with other people from your team.
Finally, technology leaders should also be mentors for junior members of their teams so that they learn new things every day and become better in their jobs every day as well.
A leader should also understand that business is not just about technology but people, relationships, and communication.
Good communicators can understand their audience's needs and dynamics at all levels of the organization. They can also articulate their ideas in a way that resonates with people across roles and responsibilities. The best communicators can make anyone feel heard while sharing their thoughts or ideas in a meaningful way.
Understanding how to communicate effectively will help you build strong relationships with other members of your team, which will, in turn, improve your ability to lead them toward success as you work together on projects or initiatives throughout the year.
Being a technical person is always an advantage, as it gives you credibility among your team members. You must explain complex concepts so everyone can understand and solve problems on the spot and lead by example. If one of your developers has trouble with something, you should be able to jump in and help him out—no matter what time it is or how busy you are with other things.
Communication skills are fundamental and should be developed over time to ensure people understand you. An excellent way to improve your communication skills is by making sure you speak, use easy-to-understand language, and don't rush your words. If someone doesn't understand what you are saying, ask them to repeat or say it back to you so that you can correct any misunderstanding right away.
Practicing these techniques consistently in meetings with your team members and stakeholders will make them comfortable with giving feedback on how well they understood what was said during the conversation. This will help build trust among everyone involved by creating an environment where everyone feels comfortable sharing their thoughts without fear of being misunderstood or judged for their ideas or comments.
Leading by example is very important, especially if your team members are not following the proper guideline. You will set an example for them that will help them improve their skills, learn new technologies and improve their productivity.
Be a role model - If you want to be respected by your team members, you must respect them first. They must see how much they mean to you and how much effort you put into making them better in their position. If there is no respect between people, it becomes tough for the team to work together efficiently and effectively.
Set the bar high - When setting goals for yourself as a leader it's important not only set goals but also explain why those goals matter so much and how reaching those goals will make all of us more successful at what we do every day at work as well as improve our lives outside of work which ultimately improves our lives overall!
Being a technology leader means understanding technology and leading and motivating teams to achieve their goals.
If you are leading a team at your company, you will need to understand the technology entirely. If you don't know what went into building your product or service, how will you communicate this information effectively with your team? You won't be able to help them move forward if they don't know what progress looks like or how they can get there.
Doing both is essential for any successful leader.
Always seek out and listen to customer feedback.
It's essential to seek out and listen to customer feedback. It will help you improve your product and give customers a sense that they are being heard.
Prioritize your work around what customers want, not what they do today.
You are in business because you want to help your customers. They're the reason you get up every morning and should be the focus of everything you do. That's why it's vital to ensure that your team has good customer feedback—if we aren't listening to them and understanding what they need from us, how can we expect to deliver exceptional products? If a customer is asking for something and it's not something we offer today, we need to figure out how to add that functionality without making our core product suffer too much.
Practice deep communication — especially in writing — with your team members continuously.
Deep communication is not about the number of words we share but the quality of those conversations.
Communication is a two-way street: as much as you need to communicate with your team members, they also need to share with you. And if there's one thing that makes for great teamwork and team productivity, it's two-way communication.
What does this look like? It means that both parties are listening and speaking; no one person says or listens for long periods without the other party participating actively in the conversation. It also means that both parties are providing feedback on what they hear from each other, so there's never any misunderstanding between them (or their teams).
It's all about continuously practicing deep communication — especially in writing — with your team members.
A weekly 1:1 meeting between managers/leaders and their direct reports helps ensure everyone stays connected while giving people time to ask questions or make suggestions without interrupting others' workday flow.
Hire people who are better than you are.
Hire people who are smarter than you are.
Hire people who have more experience in the field than you do.
Hire people with a very different skill set than yours so that your team is more diverse and can cover all the bases.
And finally, hire someone with a different perspective—someone who thinks differently from you, has a diverse background and upbringing, or has an exciting story.
Continuously seek improvement and innovation from your team members.
One of the most critical components of leading a team is providing opportunities for people to grow. It would help if you were willing to hear ideas from others and look for ways you can help them improve. Asking questions and then listening carefully is essential. If you're open to learning more about something that someone has brought up, they'll feel more confident approaching you with new ideas in the future.
If your team members are not given an opportunity to grow, they will stagnate and eventually become unhappy with their job—which can lead them down a path where they want out. If this happens frequently enough, it could have disastrous effects on your company's bottom line.
Take the time to be the kind of leader who works to make your partners and employees better versions of themselves every day, and you will reap both personal and professional rewards that cannot be measured.
You won't be able to do this alone. And that's where leadership comes in. Leadership is about helping people improve themselves and their organizations. If you want your organization to stand out from the rest, it's crucial to have good leaders at all levels of your business.
The best way to lead others is by example; however, there's no rule saying that you can't learn from other leaders too. It will take time for you to become a great leader yourself—that's okay. It's encouraged. Have conversations with other successful leaders in your industry (or even outside of it) and see what they have learned about leading teams over the years.
Conclusion
I hope this article has been helpful to you in understanding what it takes to be a great leader. By implementing the strategies, you will be able to improve your team's productivity and ensure that everyone on the team feels engaged with their work. Remember that leadership is an art form, not a science. So keep experimenting until you find what works best for your specific situation.
Tyrone Showers