Owning Your Professional Development Journey
Many years ago, I worked with a tech support manager named Dan who had been with his company for more than 15 years and had worked his way up from an entry-level role. He was a bright and energetic leader with a knack for building relationships and developing trust with those who counted on him. Dan had so much potential, but he had stagnated in a first-level management position when leadership changes at the company left him reporting to someone who did not see his potential and did not value the role of technology in the business. The culture of the company was declining, and technology was seen as a commodity by some business leaders and as a necessary evil by others. Dan finally decided he needed to move on.
He applied for many opportunities that he felt he was qualified for but could not even get an interview. He began to feel trapped and hopeless. I went to lunch with Dan during this time and remember him being so down and dejected that I genuinely worried about his well-being. I reminded Dan of his previous successes and accomplishments and assured him that he had a ton of value to offer the right company. We talked about his résumé and what might be keeping him from rising to the top of the pile and getting a meeting with hiring managers. I shared with Dan some ideas on technology skills that were in high demand at that time.
Dan knew he wanted more in his career, and he knew that he needed to acquire additional skills and experience to get there. So, he researched professional development opportunities and submitted a request to his manager to take two college courses and obtain certifications in project management and business analysis. His request was denied. This wasn’t a surprise, just another disappointment. However, Dan knew that he couldn’t count on his current employer to help him advance and that he was going to have to take responsibility for his own career development. He discussed his career plan with his wife, and they adjusted the family budget so that Dan could pay for the education courses himself. He used every bit of his hard-earned vacation time for that year, and some of the following year, to attend the classes on his own time.
Dan put his maximum effort into learning and developing himself and completed two courses in project management and business analysis. He then updated his résumé and began his job search again. This time, Dan had several interviews within days and very soon had competing offers from two well-known and reputable companies. He was able to evaluate the offers and the culture of each company and choose the one that he felt was the best fit.
My next lunch with Dan, shortly after he accepted a new role with a great company, was entirely different. He was on top of the world and exuded confidence. Dan’s new manager was a great advocate for him and provided him with further development opportunities. Dan quickly became a certified Scrum Master, this time with the support of his new employer. His career has continued to flourish, and when I talk to Dan now, he is happy and fulfilled. He will continue to progress as a technology leader because he continues to learn, grow, and take responsibility for his own career.
Just like any profession, IT leaders need to continue their professional development. The focus of your continuing education will shift as you climb the ladder of your career. Training in specific technical skills, technology products and IT processes should give way to people-centered education as you progress toward higher levels of leadership. But this evolution is more than just replacing the programming language reference books and networking certification exam study guides on your bookshelf with the latest books on leadership, management, and business strategy.
Teddy Bekele, chief technology officer at Land O’ Lakes, delivered the keynote address at the 2022 Minnesota CIO of the Year ORBIE Awards, where he received the Leadership Award in recognition of his passion for developing technology leaders over the course of his career. During his keynote, Teddy explained the importance of interpersonal skills in technology leadership development when he said, “If I were to go back to school to prepare for my current role, I would pursue a degree in psychology and sociology. This job and many technology leadership jobs are all about people. It’s about connecting with the individual in one-on-one interactions and unleashing the power of people working together. Empathy, connection, motivation, inspiration are key ingredients!” Professional development that emphasizes those skills is the key to success for technology leaders as they progress in their career.
While you should spend less time on developing technical skills, it is still important that you remain up-to-date on technology concepts, as they continue to evolve and change. Deciding what to learn about can be a challenge, with the abundance of new tools, concepts, and methodologies constantly emerging. The first time I hear a new technology buzzword, I will likely ignore it. If I hear the same term a second time or in the context of a topic that is important to me, such as information security, I will take the time to research it and understand what is means and whether it warrants further study.
Many resources are available to IT leaders to help them stay informed and educated in all areas of technology. The number of blogs and podcasts alone is overwhelming and leaves no excuse for falling behind. Everyone has their favorites. Ask your peers for their recommendations, and you’ll get a list of some great resources.
Jamie Thinglestad is the chief technology officer at SPS Commerce and has spent more than 25 years leading the technology function for organizations of all sizes, from startups to public companies. Jamie also publishes a weekly technology blog called The Weekly Thing. Every weekend, Jamie’s readers are treated to his thoughts on technology, leadership, productivity, culture, privacy, and other topics. Jamie adds commentary from his decades of experience leading teams and building technology.
Jamie has a fundamental belief that all great technology teams are learning teams. “To have a career in technology is to have a career in learning,” he explains. “Continuing professional development, balancing technical skills with leadership, but also staying current with technology trends is extremely important to me. It’s not optional. To be a good leader of technology teams, you must be technical yourself. And given how quickly the space evolves, that means constant learning.”
IT leaders who have reached the C-suite or are determined to get there should be building their collection of leadership and management books. But not everyone loves reading, and there are a staggering number of books on leadership and management available. A search on Amazon for “leadership books” revealed that there are currently more than 60,000 books available for purchase in that category.
Personally, I love to read, but I have found that management and leadership books vary greatly in their quality. Some are jam-packed with relevant insight, actionable advice, and engaging stories to illustrate the points. Others have a few really good salient points, but the spaces in between are filled with worn-out examples we’ve heard a thousand times and dubious anecdotes to fill pages and turn what could have been a 30-minute podcast into a full length book.
Blinkist is a subscription-based service that summarizes books into 15-minute “blinks,” available in written or audio form. The library includes more than 5,000 titles, including leadership and management books, but also history, economics, sales, marketing, politics, science, and technology. I enjoy listening to Blinkist book summaries on my commute to and from work. It’s a great way to preview the contents of many books, capturing the key points, and then decide which ones sound interesting enough that you will want to read the full book.
Another excellent source of insight on current technology trends for IT leaders is your technology vendors. You outsource certain aspects of your technology service delivery to third-party companies, and you expect them to be experts in the services they provide. So, lean on them to share their expertise. As you sit in on service review meetings with key vendors, ask them to share the trends they are seeing in their corner of the market with other customers, product manufacturers, or competitors. Invite the engineers and thought leaders on their team to present to your team about new advances in the technologies they deliver and support. I’ve brought in several CIOs, CTOs, and company presidents from our closest vendor partners to speak to my IT leadership team about new technology trends, not in a sales capacity but rather in a knowledge-sharing and educational capacity.
The truly brave among us will even leverage prospective vendors as a source of education and professional development. Occasionally, I will actually respond to a cold email from a salesperson and schedule a meeting with them just to learn about what is new in that particular field of technology.
Other technology leaders can be an incredibly valuable resource for professional development. If you haven’t joined a peer networking association yet by the time you reach the director or VP level, you need to do so as soon as possible. But be careful when selecting which one to join. Some provide little value to the technology leader but are a forum for vendors to gain closer access to their target audience. Look for a peer networking association that prioritizes the connections between the IT leaders and member-led programming.
Finally, never underestimate the value of your own team in your professional development. Ideally you’ve hired a cadre of technology experts who know more than you about their specific area of focus. (That’s what good leaders do, after all.) Leverage their expertise to educate yourself and others on your team as appropriate. Department meetings are a great opportunity to showcase your employee’s talent and knowledge. But, even in a one-on-one conversation, don’t be afraid to ask someone to share with you what they have learned.
I like to set an expectation that my team members will prepare and present a summary of the conferences and training sessions they attend, sharing the key learnings with the rest of the team. And I make sure to listen and learn from them as well. Doing so not only increases my own knowledge but also sends the message that continuing education is important to everyone, regardless of their role
IT leaders should use a variety of resources and methods to continue their professional development. As your career progresses, shift the balance away from technical skills to leadership skills, but make sure to continue learning about general technology trends and concepts. Books, podcasts, blogs, and small side projects can be great resources to sharpen your skills. Turn to vendors, your peers in the technology community, and your own team members to expand your knowledge and to leverage the power of community.