Why Your Tech Team Needs Non-Tech People*
The Technical Truth
Your tech team needs the best tech people. The smartest, in-the-weeds, deep thinkers who understand the difference between an SSM SOC audit & an SSM Audit Stack. Folks who can think about how to create new ways of organizing data for accessibility or how to harness LLMs for general audiences. But it also needs non-tech folks to help amplify that messaging across organizations and bring new approaches to the work.
A Confession
I am perhaps biased - I say this as someone who works in IT despite being utterly flummoxed by printer error messages. (Dear printer manufacturers, why doesn't my printer recognize me every time I try to print? I didn't change the settings, my computer, or the metaphysical space the printer exists in. I mean? It's 2025, we deserve better.)
Different Colors, Different Strengths
At my company, we use a personality framework with different "colors" representing work and communication styles. Blues are the technical deep-divers. Reds are our fast-action leaders. Yellows and Greens bring people-first, big-picture thinking.
I'm yellow-green in a sea of blue-red.
The only reason I have internet at home is because my router speaks "human" - you know, that friendly language for people who need more connection with people over hardware.
From Fear to Finding Value
When I interviewed for my IT role, I was terrified. How could someone who can't tell a WLAN from a VPN help guide technical change across a large organization?
Here's what I've learned: Understanding people matters as much as understanding technical protocols or capturing data for our Red leaders.
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Where The Magic Happens
In our Microsoft Copilot preview, our tech team enabled the launch on the backend and gathered incredible data about adoption rates and productivity gains.
But data alone doesn't tell a story that resonates with executives holding purse strings and managing competing priorities. By combining technical expertise and data collection with my communication focus, we translated "percentage of active users" into "this additional productivity will give us the the same value of 14 FTE's at just a fraction of the cost."
That's the magic of diverse perspectives. Technical experts ensure we build the right solutions. Collect the right data points.
Non-technical folks help ensure people actually adapt to change and use the cutting edge technical solutions our IT teams provide.
Bridging The Gap
My superpower isn't technical knowledge - it's curiosity, communication, and bridging the gap between tech and users. I translate amazing technical work into language that helps everyone do their jobs better.
So yes, your tech team needs brilliant technical minds. But it also needs people who can:
Sometimes the best technical solutions come from including non-technical perspectives. And if that sounds odd - please tell my printer to stop giving me the same message I give my Bumble matches: "Failed to Connect".
*PS: Surprise! This is DEI
Senior Technical Program Manager
3 周The non technical team members complement the technical team members by bringing diverse strengths and talents, creating a well rounded and effective collaboration.