3 Tips for Effective IT Leadership in a Changing World

Technology leaders are facing difficult challenges. The industry is quickly changing, and they are often too consumed with keeping the company’s IT running day-to-day to stay on top of the changes. How do you balance the need to study and gain insight into future technology while supporting and securing the current technology your company uses?

The following three tips will help you stay on top of industry changes and learn to be a more effective leader:

1. Study How to Learn Faster

There will always be something new to learn. By decreasing the time it takes for you to absorb, understand and draw insights from new technology, the better prepared you will be. The first step is to increase the rate at which you can take in new information. Studies have proven that most people read far below their ability to comprehend material. Even a modest increase of 5-10% in reading speed can have a significant impact if you spend a lot of time reading and processing emails and technical information. Try a speed reading course or check out The Comprehensive Guide to Speed Reading which claims to increase your speed and comprehension by as much as 300% in 24 hours.

 

You’ll also need a methodology for storing and recalling information. It’s likely that you have a system now, but you can greatly improve your recall skills with memory strategies. The ability to retain a large store of technical information without having to look it up is a distinct advantage. It increases how quickly you can process issues to make insightful decisions. You can learn a lot from competitive memory champions, who are not super humans but have simply learned how to apply memory tools, such as the Loci method, a type of mnemonic filing system. One of the best available resources is the insightful book Moonwalking with Einstein. The book follows a reporter, with supposedly below average memory, while he covered the USA memory championships. To prepare for the assignment, he decided to learn the skills and a year later took the memory champion title himself. 

Once you’ve increased the amount of information you can process and retain, you’ll want to spend time reading relevant blogs, engaging in user communities, and keeping up-to-date with industry news. This knowledge will help you determine which skills are worth learning and in what order. 

2. Over Communicate with Non-technical Members of the Leadership Team

Communication is vital to business. Technology leaders and non-technical business leaders often find it hard to speak the same language. IT leaders, however, can bridge this language barrier by becoming bilingual. Constantly ask yourself, “Will they understand what I am trying to say?,” and “How can I simplify this idea?” Before you send your next email, save it as a draft, come back to after 30 minutes and ask yourself those questions. Consciously evaluating your communication will help you improve. After sending the email, you should follow up with the recipient to ensure it was understood correctly.  Improved communication will help you build relationships, grow the company, and create an effective team. Greg Satell, a Forbes contributor, once wrote, “In order to innovate, it’s not enough to just come up with big ideas, you also need to work hard to communicate them clearly.”

 

3. Understand How to Calculate Return on Investment (ROI)

This skill is critical for CIOs and CTOs but is also important for all technology leaders. Well-researched ROI for a new initiative can reduce the time it takes to gain approval, and help you avoid needing to explain the benefits extensively. Aligning your language with the language of non-technical business leaders, streamlines communication and will free up your time.

In addition to ROI, technical leaders should also focus their language around benefits and value. All three play a role in business decisions, but ROI is the most influential in securing funding and support to move initiatives forward quickly. You can also check out our blog 4 Ways to Increase Project Approval for IT Leaders.

By applying these three steps to your IT career, you’ll strengthen your leadership skills and increase your ability to influence change within your company. Effective leadership skills are always in demand, especially for technology roles. In IT change is fast-paced, and the success of the organization often depends on its ability to innovate and keep up with those changes. IT leaders who can bridge the communication gap between business goals and technology initiatives, while staying up-to-date on changes in the industry, will solidify a steady career path towards effective leadership.