icon
Home icon

Home

Jobs icon

Jobs

Reviews icon

Reviews

Network icon

Network

Resources icon

Resources

|For Employers icon

For Employers

logo
about
careers
FAQs
privacy policyterms & conditionsfor employers
112k
20k
icon
© 2022 Fairygodboss. All rights reserved.
My ProfileMy MessagesMy NetworkMy SettingsGroupsEventsMy PostsLog Out
Mystery Woman
Tell us more for better jobs, advice
and connections
YOUR GROUPS
Discover and join groups with like-minded women who share your interests, profession, and lifestyle.
COMPANIES YOU FOLLOW
Get alerted when there are new employee reviews.
YOUR JOB ALERTS
Get notified when new jobs are posted.
Your post is published!
Anonymous
12/03/19 at 9:02PM UTC
in
Women In Tech

Senior technical lead with limited technical skills

Does anyone have experience working with senior tech leads with very limited technical skills? I realize that some people have other strengths that the company deems valuable, but I'm of the opinion that senior tech leads are REQUIRED to have strong technical skills. What do you think?

Share

Join the conversation...
Anonymous
12/05/19 at 5:15PM UTC
Having been an engineer and worked with engineers for 20 years, I've observed that many individuals with technical acumen are poor communicators. Perhaps while he understands the technical concepts, his ability to communicate data clearly is the real gap? To him it makes sense and he sees value in reducing the amount of data. It's more rare than you might think for strong technical individuals to also be very strong communicators or managers. If you want to take action, I could suggest from your example to re-organize the data in the way you think appropriate and review it with him. It may be "weird" to have null columns, but perhaps it saves a lot of time or other advantage that you don't see. I would also challenge you to look at it as an opportunity to hone your own communication skills by having a technical discussion with a Senior leader as well as taking a look at a situation from another point of view. There are often many ways to do a task and each may have strengths. Good luck!
Anonymous
12/05/19 at 6:37PM UTC
This is helpful! Thanks Anon!
Anonymous
12/05/19 at 4:21PM UTC
In general I would agree with you - but I don't think everyone agreeing with you will help your situation. Is there a specific issue you're dealing with where this lack of technical knowledge is causing an issue? Perhaps this way we could offer better advice.
Anonymous
12/05/19 at 4:43PM UTC
Thanks anon, I'll give an example. I noticed that one of the tables he made was weird (two different types of data was supposed to be stored in it, such that for one data type most of the columns would be null). I asked him why he made this decision, and I told him that it seems like there should be two tables. His concern was that there are "too many tables in our database." Even as someone who is new to software engineering, I know that this reasoning is not good to have one table for two different types of data.
Cherie Ontiveros
star-svg
32
Tech Strategies to create Digital Enterprises
12/04/19 at 4:39PM UTC
The definition of technical skills may mean hands-on or background experience within the topic matters being managed. Technical leaders must stay curious, inquisitive, and ahead of the technical curve in case the team needs new ideas. The leader must have a great network of experts to leverage to assist them in staying ahead. Leadership and also technical leadership requires communication, leverage and teamwork. Technical leaders I tend to respect always seem to know something I don't and when they don't have the answers, they are not shy to ask others, to provide me with connections to increase my own network and knowledge.
Anonymous
12/05/19 at 4:49PM UTC
Hi OP here! I find your comment about having connections very interesting. I never thought about that but I think it's a good point. Thanks for replying!
ROSALIE DAY
star-svg
252
Policy (MPP) + upskilled data & communications
12/04/19 at 3:43PM UTC
A good leader and manager knows what they don't know, learns continuously and does not micromanage. I hired and managed technical people for the skills I needed to carry the business forward. For example, SCADA systems. I could write the functional spec at the very front end but I did not know how to write code for real time systems. The people I hired were way better than me at understanding the interfaces, yet I managed them. If they needed help, I depended on them to communicate with me and identify the resources they needed. It is trust, communication and common goals. If every manager had to have all the knowledge of the people they managed, there would be no CEOs. The CEO example is extreme but the relationship goes both ways. I hire them, give the responsibility and resources and hold them accountable, I don't need to know exactly how they do their jobs. If they have a problem, I have a problem and we find the solution together.
Anonymous
12/05/19 at 4:52PM UTC
Hi OP here, thank you for your reply. I agree that technical leads are not expected to be experts about everything, and to have answers to everything, but I do think that they should have more advanced knowledge about system architecture / design tradeoffs / tools that one can use, etc. Thank you for commenting!
ROSALIE DAY
star-svg
252
Policy (MPP) + upskilled data & communications
12/05/19 at 8:06PM UTC
Good point! I was not a "technical lead." I was the manager of the technical lead and owner of the product line.
Peg Bittner
star-svg
620
retired auditor now into volunteering
12/04/19 at 1:32PM UTC
And I thought I was the only one out there in that situation. I had a manager who was two levels above but very much hands on with the billing department over the leads and she knew absolutely nothing about accounting or the billing process. She had all her experience in computer programming but not in what goes into the programs to make them work. It was a nightmare and a great stress inducer. My heart goes out to you and I wish you the professional best
Anonymous
12/05/19 at 4:53PM UTC
Hi! OP here! May I ask how you dealt with that situation? I don't think that my situation is as dire as yours, but would love to hear how you coped with it!
Peg Bittner
star-svg
620
retired auditor now into volunteering
12/06/19 at 2:42AM UTC
unfortunately for me, it cost me my health. I developed a seizure disorder brought on by stress and anxiety. The woman knew I was right and a possible threat so it was her mission to destroy me in every way possible. There was never a day when she was in the office that I did not get called on to the carpet or she would come stomping her feet down the aisle screaming for me. I got to the point that I was hoping she would have her fit before lunch just to get it over with. She would accuse me of things with no proof or of entries that were right but she did not understand how I did them and why. I just thought I talked over her head. It was a very ugly time of my career. Once I left, my seizures stopped and my entire attitude made a complete change. It took 9 years of talk therapy and medication with a boost of a retirement buy out to get me back to good health. I would not recommend my way of dealing to anyone. My suggestion is to look while hanging in there. But if you notice you are getting sick more and more over your job. don't hesitate, leave. No one's health is worth the treatment you are getting or I did. Good luck and if you need a shoulder, I have very strong broad ones, just look up Peg Bittner on LinkedIn I am here.
Anonymous
12/06/19 at 4:03PM UTC
Wow. Thank you for sharing your story! It seems truly horrifying.. :(
See other replies
Anonymous
12/04/19 at 5:43AM UTC
I previously managed the remote support center of a software company and I had little/no technical experience. Overall, I had a positive experience and we hit all our metrics constantly. It wasn’t easy at first though, it took time to build trust and a relationship with the team. I included them in critical decisions, listened to their feedback, and made it a point to learn whenever I could. (It was like I had to prove myself.) I think it can work but it will ultimately depend on the leadership style, leader’s dedication, and team dynamics.
Anonymous
12/05/19 at 4:55PM UTC
Hi OP here! Thank you for sharing your experience. Were you considered a technical lead or more of a project manager? I do think that project managers don't need to have all the technical knowledge.
Anonymous
12/05/19 at 9:54PM UTC
You’re welcome! My title was team lead but was changed to manager later on. The team I was responsible for was essentially providing first and second level product support for end users.
Melissa Halfon
star-svg
348
Data Engineer
12/04/19 at 1:20AM UTC (Edited)
Short answer: technical skills are a requirement. Longer answer: this hits close to home to me because as someone in a senior technical role, I am hyper sensitive to the fact that I know I don't have all the answers. I think technical leadership is one of the hardest roles to hire for because being great at tech things AND people things is rare. I do believe any leader should never stop learning, especially in the ever-changing fields of tech and a breadth or depth of knowledge is a necessity. I know I'm always striving to learn new things to grow my own knowledge and my team's.
AnonymousBrand Strategy Leader • Entrepreneur
12/03/19 at 10:20PM UTC
I echo the sentiment and have never seen it work well. Hubris is the order of the day in many places unfortunately. If a tech lead doesn't fundamentally understand the work, they will not be able to manage it well, or the expectations that come with each project. If this person is adept at politics and good at BSing higher ups, it may go on for a while, but likely juniors and peers will grow tired of it. All around it is a bad practice that will erode the working environment. What to do about it is another thing all together.
Anonymous
12/05/19 at 4:56PM UTC
Yep! I feel like this is what is happening in my team. What do you think we should do!?!
Laura Andrews
star-svg
31
Seasoned IT Leader: Enterprise system expert
12/03/19 at 9:16PM UTC
I have seen it happen. It is rare, though to be honest. It is a hard sell to oversee technical employees without having the knowledge. An understanding of the work, even at a superficial high level is critical. If you have a more concrete example, such as skills you have, and the target role, I could provide more concrete feedback based on my 20 years of technical and technical management experience.
Susan Smoter
star-svg
1.46k
Burning desire to make the working world better
12/03/19 at 9:29PM UTC
I agree! I've seen non-technical senior leads and it rarely went well. Tech staff just don't respect anyone who doesn't have the knowledge to help remove roadblocks and make critical decisions.
Susan Smoter
star-svg
1.46k
Burning desire to make the working world better
12/03/19 at 9:30PM UTC
One more thing to add... I worked in a place that as policy put inexperienced people in lead positions thinking it would help them grow... it didn't work!

You're invited.

See what women are sharing on Fairygodboss.
What's new today
wand-button
Personalize your jobs
Get recommendations for recent and relevant jobs.
Employer Reviews
Rock & Roll Hall of Fame
3.0
Shiny objects aren't always the best. You'll find dozens of...
Seagate Technology
4.4
Such a great place to work, they offer great benefits and...
Recent Content
How to Best Respond to Situations of Ageism in the Workplace — According to an Executive Coach
The Importance of Personality Over Skill When Growing a Team — Lessons From a Director
‘I Love My Job’: At My Company, Opportunity Grows Every Day — From a Preschool Teacher
icon
© 2022 Fairygodboss. All rights reserved.
  • about
  • careers
  • FAQs
  • privacy policy
  • terms & conditions
112k
20k