How can you help tech executives stay ahead of the curve?

For tech it's more about showmanship skills and less about tech skills. Because they are from thch they already are good at tech. What they lack is ability to showcase their talent. How can they pivot on this is the million dollar question they must ask themselves. What say techies?

Normally tech people work on an independent basis. They are more independent contributors. If they are given a road map of how they are going to grow in their career, it will really help them to understand that apart from technical skills, they need to uplift themselves better with other skills as well

If you haven't worked in tech before (ideally in leadership positions), this could be a difficult challenge. While a good coach can help anyone, if you don't have the context, including the professional tech context (not just the management context), you will need to get a lot of explanations that would make the process less effective and slower

Understanding the context is crucial when coaching tech executives due to the complexity of the tech industry, specialized jargon, and unique work culture. Tech executives face distinct leadership challenges, such as managing specialized teams and navigating emerging technologies. Coaches must be aware of global business dynamics and cross-cultural communication, as tech companies often operate internationally. They also need to consider the ethical, social, and environmental implications of tech decisions. Knowledge of innovation methodologies is vital to foster creativity within tech organizations. Coaches must grasp the rapid technological trends to help executives stay ahead.

After 20+ years in Tech, I have the context that allows me to understand the challenges that leaders face. At the same time, each person and situation is unique. If you don't have much experience in the industry, use your curiosity, empathy and listen deeply. Most Tech leaders operate in a very fast paced environment. Many struggle to avoid burnout and mental health issues. Offering your undivided attention and a safe container for self-reflection will go a long way to help them unpack their thoughts and get clarity on their next move.

The biggest challenge isn't time. It's attention. With back-to-back meetings and decision-making fatigue, attention becomes a scarce resource. That's why the best executive coaches ensure their clients are resourceful and coachable before proceeding to goal-setting. Clients who skip this step might remain stuck in survival mode due to cortisol, which could make it very hard for them to open up and generate fresh ideas.

Again, this will be extremely hard without working in tech before, or at least worked with many tech executive ls or managers in the past

Building trust takes time and effort, but by consistently demonstrating your expertise, sincerity, and understanding of their unique challenges, you can establish a strong and trusting relationship. Understand their preferred communication style and adapt yours accordingly, some may prefer direct, concise communication over detailed ones.

Build a partnership with empathy, curiousity, and be able to work with a mind that works at pace - learned behaviour. Understand the challenges, and know how to flip this to opportunities.

Tech people will be busy with multiple things. Getting time from them is difficult. Most importantly as they deal with the important component called technology, they think they know everything. But if there is trust built in, then automatically they will get the comfort & rapport. With that, we can easily communicate & they will also listen to us

One thing I've found helpful is the concept of the "big arrow" that I learned from Peter Bregman. Peter is recognized as the #1 executive coach in the world by Leading Global Coaches. The big arrow is your client's most important priority. It's that one thing that keeps them up at night. It's the goal that, if achieved, will make 80% of the difference.

For sure focus on their goals and outcomes, but watch out for the delivery angle, which in my experience, is a need to get that thing done. To achieve sustainable leadership, work out what the desired outcome is for them - business, team, and personal. Anyone can tick a list, to achieve a change in the future, identify the long game, and also work on the short game - the 'now' burning challenges they face (and why).

Data-Driven Decision Making: Encourage tech executives to leverage data analytics and insights to drive decision-making. By analyzing data on customer behavior, market trends, and performance metrics, executives can make informed decisions and stay ahead of the curve.

Tech people like to visualise things. It has to be clean & clear. Nothing hidden or in grey. They like everything to be open. If the coach can help them to understand the purpose, goals & what they are going to achieve, the involvement is going to be super positive. It may take effort. But if the coach is also from the tech background, then it is super awesome

While it's important to support them to scale up in the gap areas,it is important to challenge their beliefs,which may be limiting them from achieving their stretched goals. It is also important to generate a collective consciousness for the greater good, by fostering a culture of inclusion and collaboration.This way people are open to learning from each other and identifying what skills,attitude they should embody to evolve the most productive path for themselves and the organisation ahead.

Agile and Adaptive Approach: Embrace an agile and adaptive approach to business operations. This involves being open to change, embracing new technologies and methodologies, and being responsive to market dynamics. Tech executives should be willing to adapt their strategies and business models to stay ahead in a rapidly evolving industry.

The tech people like challenges. But it should not be a random challenge. It has to be clear, specific & relevant. If there is support from the coach then they would take it very seriously & update the coach on their progress as well. Here if the coach taps them & motivates them, automatically their push to achieve the goal will be double

Fostering creativity and innovation in tech executives involves creating a supportive environment that encourages exploration, experimentation, and collaboration. Meanwhile remember to acknowledge their technical and domain expertise. Show them how design and creative thinking translates to outcomes and better results.

Asking deep, meaningful questions within the right context could help them come with creative ideas and solutions. Running or suggesting creativity or brainstorming workshops could also help.

As a coach, it's important to build the trust with the executive leader. By asking powerful questions, sharing experience from similar situations in the past helps to build your credibility as a coach. Co- creation also helps to great extent. Effective facilitation can also help to untap the creative of the executive.

Creating a creative mindset needs some real good coaching. The coach has to understand their values & their limiting beliefs & make them think out of the box. Initially there would be some resistance. But once they get the hold, it becomes a cake walk for them to think differently.

Rational, logic based, black & white thinking often finds a poor cousin in a dynamic and inter-relational thinking where there are many shades of grey. This dichotomy is sometimes visible in tech leaders where they find people to be complex systems where input and output show no relation a lot of times. Moreover, like many industries, a lot of tech leaders are made responsible for people without sufficient developmental opportunities around that topic, aggravating the challenges. Helping tech leaders with raising awareness about this and embracing the value of dichotomy of their thinking processes is quite helpful in a lot of scenarios. The value is in helping them see they don't need to sacrifice one for the other but can embrace both.

In the fast-paced world of technology, staying ahead of the curve is essential for tech executives. Encourage tech executives to engage in continuous learning and professional development, including attending industry conferences, pursuing advanced certifications, or participating in executive education programs. Help tech executives build strategic networks within the industry, which can give them valuable insights, access to new opportunities, and the ability to collaborate with other leaders on innovative projects. By enhancing their leadership skills and expanding their influence, tech executives can position themselves as industry leaders and stay ahead of the curve in an ever-evolving tech landscape.

Cross-Functional Collaboration: Encourage collaboration and knowledge sharing across different departments and teams within the organization. This can help generate new ideas, foster innovation, and ensure a holistic understanding of the business and industry landscape, thus enhancing an executive’s leadership and influence.

The leadership influence comes only through networking & brainstorming. A good way to enhance their leadership skills is having both the ways of coaching. Which is independent coaching & also team coaching. It should be a blend. Then the learning becomes like an interesting play

One important fact that most experts need to realise is that one cannot know everything. Wisdom lies in knowing this fact. What are other ways of relating with world outside is key exploration other than their expertise? How can they inspire newbies and rookies to continue the explorations?

Another way to support tech leaders is to help them think about and build their personal brand within the organization. Because they are so busy they often spend most of their time working with and focusing on the teams they manage. A coach can help them understand the importance of building a personal brand outside the team and build a plan to build and promote their personal brand.

Too many leaders pride themselves on being great problem solvers. If you want to stay ahead of the curve, help them become expert problem avoiders. Learn to anticipate them before they happen - and there are exercises designed to help foster and develop their thinking to see around corners (for example pre-mortems and worst case scenarios).

Building Thought Leadership and having Showmanship skills are 2 pillars to work on. It enables us to be more visible and be in the top 1% of the workforce.

In the rapidly evolving tech landscape, it's essential for executives to not only possess up-to-date expertise but also demonstrate quick adaptability and resilience in the face of challenges. Cultivating an outlook that welcomes change, actively seeks learning in all scenarios, and perceives failures as valuable lessons can profoundly bolster an executive’s ability to steer through the sector's intricacies. A strong emphasis on developing these qualities of adaptability and resilience is crucial, ensuring they are agile leaders who can guide their teams with confidence amidst constant innovation and uncertainty.