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August 15, 2023   Cyber Security, Hacks, Fraud Alerts, Risks, Enterprise, Entrepreneurs, Start-ups, Small Businesses, FinTech and Alternative Finance, Fintech International, Fintech Services, Innovation and Resources, Leadership, Competition, Human Capital, Health   No comments

From Techie to Tech Leader with these 5 Hacks

Aug 15, 2023

Unsplash Campaign Creators Tech leader - From Techie to Tech Leader with these 5 Hacks

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Being a tech leader in the modern world doesn’t necessarily mean you're the go-to office tech guru. Sure, your tech-savvy-ness is conducive, but being a leader involves an entirely different set of skills besides just technical knowledge. A personal software update, if you will.

Check out the following advice from top tech leaders on how to go from techie to tech leader with these five simple hacks.

1. Learning: The Never-Ending Download

If you’re not staying up to date, you’re already just a blurb in yesterday’s news. As both an expert in the technology industry and a successful leader, your ability to learn and refine your skills must always remain at the forefront. To be an effective leader, you have to be an effective learner.

Visualize the desired culture you want for your team. Do you want a team of ambitious go-getters with a never-ending eagerness to discover the latest technological advances?

Sounds great, right?

The good news is you can have just that, but remember, as a leader… the culture begins with you. You must constantly expand your knowledge and inspire your team to do the same. Some ways we recommend doing this are by:

  • Reading relevant publications and arranging a team discussion;
  • Attending industry conferences with your team;
  • Collaborating with startups to gain insight into disruptive innovations;
  • Regular “check-ins” with the team;
  • Goal setting and development of appropriate project check-points & timelines;
  • Researching successful leaders and implementing techniques.

2. Communication: The Motherboard of Your Team

A team without communication is like a computer without a motherboard, and not just any communication will do.

Clear, concise, and effective communication is the only way to lead a team to success. Communication has always remained in the top requirements of any healthy relationship, even outside of the work field.

In fact, a toxic workplace with long work hours and an unsafe psychological work culture is three times more likely to contribute to an employee’s risk of depression.

You simply cannot effectively lead a team without establishing open lines of communication and building trust. In fact, poor communication is the #1 reason even the most lucrative teams fall apart.

Here are some valuable suggestions to ensure your team doesn’t fall into that category.

  • From the start, clearly define each member’s role within the team;
  • Despite your hectic work schedule, always make time for a team member requesting to speak with you;
  • Always keep an open line of communication;
  • Never forget that as a team leader, you set the tone as a role model. You ultimately are showing your team what is acceptable and not acceptable behavior. If there’s an issue within your team - look to yourself first.

3. Culture Connection: The MVP

As a role model, you are the MVP. You set the tone. And the tone is best when in tune with your teammates.

Your actions serve as guideposts for your team members to follow. Use these top tips to set (and keep) the right tone within your team:

  • Develop a mentoring program to connect junior developers with a senior developer (be sure the senior developer is briefed and on board prior);
  • Organize events in which individual team members can showcase their personal projects;
  • Whenever possible, involve the team in decision-making and project planning.

Make it your personal mission to pull the motivation from each and every team member and watch the momentum of your team take off. An inspired team is an unstoppable team.

4. Innovation: The Ultimate Network

When talking about “innovation,” the term network continuously comes to mind. Your team is your literal interweb to utilize and customize as needed to achieve your goals (which should also be your team’s goals).

Developing a team with dedicated players placed in their desired designated roles is a recipe for success. While it sounds easy, very few team leaders actually accomplish this.

The key is to analyze your team as a leader rather than as a friend. This is a part of the entrepreneurial mindset. You wouldn’t put your best pitcher out in the left field, so don’t fill a spot in software development with a senior data analyst just because you two get along well and you can show him the ropes.

The best teams in the world are full of diverse individuals who may otherwise never be connected but become connected through a shared common goal.

5. Protect Your Team: Prioritize Cybersecurity

Your team is crushing it; you’re breaking company-wide records and exceeding goals faster than you can set them.

The downfall to building an unstoppable team and being victorious is that everyone wants a slice of the pie.

As a techie, you know just how detrimental a lack of cybersecurity is, and this could very well be the destroyer of your newfound A-team.

After all, a team is only as good as its weakest link, and if an error is made and data is breached, all the work you’ve done building this empire could come crashing down.

Protect yourself, your team, and your success by:

  • Conducting regular security training sessions;
  • Developing a strategy for encryption, secure coding practices, and proper data handling;
  • Performing security audits;
  • Using a VPN to ensure safe online practices by all team members. Learn more about NordVPN and Surfshark to pick the one that suits your needs the most.

Conclusion

Whether you are currently a techie looking to become a leader in your department or are already in a place of management, one thing we can all agree on is the importance of the team surrounding us.

It is ultimately your responsibility to ensure that you have the right teammates with the ability to communicate effectively, a suitable culture that recognizes and utilizes each member's individual talents, and the proper protection to keep your team focused on crushing goals, not cyberattacks.

NCFA Jan 2018 resize - From Techie to Tech Leader with these 5 HacksThe National Crowdfunding & Fintech Association (NCFA Canada) is a financial innovation ecosystem that provides education, market intelligence, industry stewardship, networking and funding opportunities and services to thousands of community members and works closely with industry, government, partners and affiliates to create a vibrant and innovative fintech and funding industry in Canada. Decentralized and distributed, NCFA is engaged with global stakeholders and helps incubate projects and investment in fintech, alternative finance, crowdfunding, peer-to-peer finance, payments, digital assets and tokens, blockchain, cryptocurrency, regtech, and insurtech sectors. Join Canada's Fintech & Funding Community today FREE! Or become a contributing member and get perks. For more information, please visit: www.ncfacanada.org

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