With over 25 years in technology, I’ve managed multiple teams across Fortune 500 companies. While I wasn’t always in an official leadership role, my breadth of experience often positioned me as a subject matter expert across various technical domains.
Navigating corporate environments can be challenging, especially in cultures that emphasize competition over collaboration. Yet, true, sustainable success relies on cooperation. I remember a senior leader once thanked me for always helping my team, but then added, “All you have to do to succeed here is to be better than your peers.” She quickly climbed the corporate ladder, yet the department continued to struggle with the same issues. This led me to adopt a different approach: Leadership from Behind.
My strategy isn’t just about my expertise; it’s also about sharing it. Experience naturally leads to knowledge, but in companies where collaboration is undervalued, fostering this knowledge can be difficult. Nevertheless, I’ve seen my approach yield positive results, even leading to official leadership opportunities.
I aim not only to help colleagues but also to educate them through my experience. Here’s a typical scenario:
“Garland, I was told to reach out to you regarding such and such.”
“How can I help?”
I don’t just troubleshoot or resolve the issue; I document the solution if I haven’t already done so. I believe the most vital skill for an engineer is a commitment to the written word. In today’s world, where texting often replaces in-depth communication, few people take the time to read. Frequently, colleagues return with the same questions, hoping I’ll fix the problem again, but I refer them back to the documentation. (Teach a person to fish, and they’ll eat for a lifetime.)
When I join a new environment, I establish a central repository for all technical documentation, if one doesn’t exist already.
Technical Leadership
In formal leadership roles, I believe a technical leader’s purpose is to educate and empower their team. I begin by setting up communication protocols that define how the team operates. I encourage team members to be versatile, ensuring everyone is familiar with the full spectrum of responsibilities rather than working in silos. This way, the team’s progress doesn’t depend on the availability of a single individual.
By fostering knowledge-sharing and collaboration, I believe we can create resilient teams that are both innovative and prepared to handle any challenge.