Are You Effectively Leading and Inspiring Your Technical Team? Sharpen Your Skills with IEEE Training for Technical Leaders

Renowned science fiction author Arthur C. Clarke once famously likened advancements in technology to “magic,” while noted American historian Arthur Schlesinger stated that “science and technology revolutionize our lives.”

“Good, bad or indifferent,” confirmed billionaire British businessman and retailer Sir Philip Green, “if you’re not investing in new technology, you’re going to be left behind.”

While technology is indeed transformative, it’s the people behind it who inspire and enable the ground-breaking technical advancements that are revolutionizing businesses across all industry sectors – from e-commerce retailers to financial service firms, manufacturing companies, and more – every day.

The bottom line? Regardless of the field you’re in, a ‘technology’ provider’s ability to continually drive innovation is crucial to its livelihood. And to fuel that all-important innovation process, companies need strong leaders who can motivate and inspire their technical teams to reach for the sky.

Leaders of Technical Teams Face Unique Challenges in Today’s Competitive Landscape

Those who work on technical teams agree that great technical leaders walk a fine line between sharing their opinions and listening with an open mind, and being positive and energetic while remaining calm, cool, and collected. Successful technical leaders understand technological issues and can identify and execute on market opportunities thanks to their own strong technical skills; they also communicate clearly, connect with people frequently, mentor and develop their team members, and inspire those around them.

While members of technical teams are responsible for executing strategies on the ground, leaders of technical teams must foster an environment of innovation, creativity, and growth and shift their focus from what they can produce to what they can inspire others to produce.

According to a recent Workhuman study, this is often easier said than done for many technical leaders, as a staggering 93% of technical leaders surveyed acknowledged that they could benefit from management coaching.

Are you one of those nine out of 10? How effective are you at inspiring and leading your team to transformative technological success?

Explore Training Opportunities for Technical Leaders

Constant upskilling is essential for technical professionals to stay current. Organizations should actively support their technical talent in developing crucial leadership skills like communication, teamwork, and problem-solving. This strategic investment not only fosters effective leadership, but also contributes to accelerated business growth. LinkedIn reports that technical professionals possessing a blend of both soft and hard skills have the potential to achieve promotions 13% faster.

Whether you’re a seasoned technical leader or have recently moved into a leadership role, IEEE offers the following targeted training designed to help sharpen the unique skills technical leaders need to advance their teams, create engaged and inspired workplace environments, and support their organization in driving winning technology and innovation:

IEEE Leading Technical Teams is a training program which recognizes the unique challenges that come with leading technical groups and is designed for team leaders, managers, and directors of engineering and technology teams who have been in their role for a minimum of six months. The program equips technical leaders with the tools they need to flourish in their roles, unlock their professional growth and success, and inspire and motivate their teams to greater heights of innovation. IEEE Leading Technical Teams consists of two components:

A “360° Leadership Practices Inventory” (LPI), which solicits confidential feedback on both the leader’s areas of strength as well as opportunities for improvement from their team members, peers, and managers/supervisors.
A 6-hour, in-person training session, where attendees receive the results of their LPI, participate in targeted instructor-led exercises, discuss case studies that highlight the unique challenges faced by technical leaders and subsequent solutions and best practices they can apply to their specific situations, learn the “Five Practices of Exemplary Leadership,” and receive valuable peer coaching.

IEEE | Rutgers Online Mini-MBA for Engineers and Technology Professionals is an online program designed to help engineers and technology professionals obtain the critical business skills needed for long-term career success. As the only online Mini-MBA curriculum specifically designed for technical professionals, this 15-week online program offers expert instruction, peer interaction, self-paced video lessons, interactive assessments, live office hours, and a hands-on capstone project experience.