Developing Technical Leaders Program

Technical leadership is different from generic leadership, so learning to do it is different as well.

I have spent more than a decade working to understand the best ways to grow technical leaders. It required careful thinking about the work of technical groups, the people who choose technical careers, and how they can best learn while continuing to be productive in their current jobs. The Developing Technical Leaders Program (DTL) is the result of that work.

What is the Developing Technical Leaders Program?

DTL is an intense, focused, six-month program designed to help enhance the management and leadership abilities of practicing technical managers. DTL helps prepare the next generation for the real-world challenges of technical leadership.

Although the program lasts six months, participants need only be away from the office for six days, two at the beginning, two at the end, and two in the middle. The rest of the program is conducted through electronic communications, self-study, introspection and writing.

DTL Offers High Potential Managers:

Intense, interactive learning experiences designed specifically for emerging technical leaders
Mind building, not just skill building
Learning experiences explicitly integrated into the employer's workplace
A learning community in which experience and theory are shared and examined
Time to reflect and grow without leaving the office for extended periods
A comprehensive conceptual model to guide the process of ongoing learning and development

DTL Offers Participants' Organizations:

Managers focused on thoughtful action
High potential leaders who are more attached to their organization
An opportunity to demonstrate commitment to developing top performers
Managers able to model leadership for subordinates
Future leaders committed to continuous learning

Participants learn in a number of ways:

Reflecting on personal experience
Exploring academic theory
Sharing experience within the group
Observing their own organizations
Visiting other participants? organizations

What Makes the Developing Technical Leaders Program Different From Other Leadership Development Programs?

DTL differs from traditional leadership development in two key ways.

1. Program Structure

DTL is built around a unique model of learning, designed to bring both short and long term benefits to both participants and their technical organizations. Specifically:

2. Program Content: The Six R Model

DTL is not a generic leadership program. DTL is specifically designed for the unique challenges of technical leadership.

These challenges include:

Most technical managers are not trained in management but are promoted because of their technical skills
Technical people don't respond to incentives the same way that others do
Creative work requires mental and emotional engagement, not just time and presence
Balancing the needs of competing stakeholders while working within tight constraints is difficult

Specifically, the program is organized around the "Six R Model" a series of lenses through which technical managers may view their current and future roles. Each offers insights into the actions they must take, the relationships they must build, the things they must accomplish, the responsibilities they must accept and the manner in which these things must be done.

Specifically, the program is broken down into the following modules:

Module 1: Reflection - Self Management - Explores the role and importance of reflection as a guide to action.
Module 2: Reason - Analytical Management - Explores the role of rational decision making based on analytical models.
Module 3: Reality - Ambiguity Management - Explores the role of the leader in dealing with the inherent ambiguity in technical work.
Module 4: Relationships - Collaboration Management - Explores the role of the leader in forging collaborative relationships inside and outside the technical group.
Module 5: Renovation and Revolution - Change Management - Explores the role of the leader in action, in changing both the technical organization and the broader enterprise.
Module 6: Synthesizing the Managerial Lenses - Explores how to synthesize the different lenses in practice and how to use the perspectives to guide day-to-day decisions, actions and behaviors.

Who is the Developing Technical Leaders Program for?

DTL is designed for a group of 10-25 people. It is ideally suited for some combination of:

High-potential technical managers
High-potential managers who rely heavily on technical people for their success
Senior technical executive at a small or medium sized organization

Can the Developing Technical Leaders Program be customized?

Yes. DTL can be customized to the specific needs of your organization.

How to get started

To explore whether DTL would be appropriate and valuable for your organization, contact Paul Glen for a personal consultation by calling 310-694-0450 or emailing at the address below.

Developing Technical Leaders	Typical Leadership Development Programs
Integrates learning into the work environment.	Remove managers from the workplace to learn in an artificial environment.
Focuses on more than managerial skills. Encourages the development of a managerial mindset.	Focus exclusively on skills and behaviors.
Extends learning over long period to allow for absorption and integration.	Take place over a short period demonstrating that managerial reflection is an occasional activity.
Keeps managers in the office, helping them learn as they work.	Require extended absences.
Combines learning from both academic theory and practical experience.	Primarily teach theory.
Teaches managers that they can continuously learn in their everyday work environment.	Teach managers that learning is an isolated activity, unrelated to managerial practice.