Strategies for Managing Team Members with More Technical Expertise

Leaders who find themselves leading team members with greater expertise have been presented with an exciting opportunity. In their book The Leadership Challenge, Kouzes and Posner share the top five practices demonstrated by the best leaders. These include doing what you say you will do, inspiring a shared vision, empowering others to take initiative and experiment, fostering collaboration, and celebrating others by expressing gratitude. It is important to note that none of these top five behaviors includes demonstrating technical expertise or industry knowledge. Instead, leaders are being asked to demonstrate emotional intelligence in order to effectively manage a successful team. 

A few strategies for leading others with greater technical expertise:

Be confident in your role as the leader. Recognize that the role of the leader is distinct from the role of an expert. The expert is required to dive deep into the work and to know the answer to how something works; the leader is required to hold the big picture and not only understand, but also enlist others in the purpose. The expert is responsible for expanding their individual knowledge and expertise; the leader is responsible for creating opportunities for the growth and development of not only themselves but also for the entire team.

Be comfortable with your subject matter expertise - or lack thereof. Those with deep expertise will recognize when someone is trying to appear more knowledgeable than they are on a subject. Don’t provide an answer if you do not have one to offer. By owning one’s own expertise and not misrepresenting knowledge, the leader will build trust within the team. By asking questions of other team members with more knowledge, the leader will build a culture of trust and collaboration.

Celebrate the ideas, achievements, and wins of others. By recognizing the work of others, team members will feel recognized, appreciated, and respected. Employees who feel valued are more engaged and far more likely to remain with the organization. Sharing the successes of the team in this way will encourage a positive and collaborative environment.

While subject matter and technical expertise will be a significant asset to any leader, these can be developed with time. By letting go of the idea that the leader of the team must have the most expertise, the leader is able to fully lean into the important role of creating the conditions for their team to be successful.

Are you struggling to manage your team of highly intelligent and skilled experts? Contact us to work with one of our leadership coaches.