This is great advice from Joe McKendrick writing for Forbes. He tracks “how technology innovations move markets and careers.”
He sees the need for a “hybrid business leader, who has advanced technology understanding, as well as strong business-building skills. They may come from technical ranks, but also may come from the business side, with a need to develop more advanced technology skills.”
He quotes Thomas Erl, author of numerous business technology books, and CEO of Arcitura Education, which provides technology skills training to thousands of professionals across the globe: “Leaders and managers need to understand technology, and how it not only relates to automating their systems, but how it relates to their global digital presence. Also, they need a firm grasp of how their competitors and others in their markets are utilizing technology.”
Erl says it’s “probably more urgent for business professionals to up their technology game than it is for technology professionals to learn to lead their businesses. For tech people “to understand the business is usually easier and perhaps less critical than for the executives to understand the technology. It’s harder, and it’s more critical for the business side to understand technology, so they don’t get caught off guard.”
Our JetRuby blog is full of useful information for business leaders on technology.
