Advance to management

Here’s a myth: In order to grow in your career, you need to keep developing technical competence.

In his TEDx Talk, Kshitij Sharma shares his journey to the C-Suite, where he learned that technical competence is important up to middle management, but after that, it’s all about people skills….like communication!

I shared his Ted Talk with our Leadership Communications Program, and one of the participants, a talented young researcher recently turned manager said, “This rang really true for me.”

She oversees a large team of researchers and now “has people to do the spreadsheets.” I asked her for three pieces of advice she would give to her last-year-self, upon being promoted from doer to manager.

Her reply:

Relationships are now more important than technical skills.

To talk to everyone when making decisions. “Just because I have the last word doesn’t mean I should make a decision without building trust and buy-in around it.”

On technical issues, defer to the technical experts on my team rather than have them “do it my way.” While I have the technical background, it’s their job.

Spot on advice.