“When you learn, teach, when you get, give.”
― Maya Angelou
Have you ever wondered what makes a great manager? It is more than leadership skill, I know of several good leaders who make ineffective managers. There are also effective managers who don’t seem to be strong leaders. What can explain this discrepancy? How could a strong leader not manage well? I think that competency makes all the difference in high-tech R&D leadership.
In the field of high-tech R&D an effective manager needs to be competent in their field. The level of competence needed for effective management is often underestimated. Many think strong leaders will lead well wherever they are. If they are trained in management then they will lead well even if they are not competent in their field. Project leadership teacher say one does not necessarily need to understand the science in depth to lead a technical project. I believe this is often not the case.
“Competence is possessing skill and knowledge that allows us to do something successfully. It also describes the ability to apply prior experience to new situations with good effect. Our competency usually increases over time as we acquire more information and ability through inquiry, observation, and participation…” – www.wisdomcommons.org
Most R&D projects require high-tech competence beyond the average person. Compared to running a retail business or marketing products or managing a construction project, high-tech competence is difficult to find. Therefore managers of these projects must be willing and able to learn from his/her scientists. Even be able and willing to work as a scientist in order to gain the necessary competency to manage.
Often the employees who are highly competent in science don’t make great managers because they are not interested in management. They became scientists because that’s what they wanted to do, they love science and love inventing. Few want to move into the stressful field of management? As a result many scientists are not accustomed to making difficult decisions under pressure.
But for those brave enough to venture into management I think there are at least three things we can do to prepare ourselves to manage R&D projects.
Have you ever noticed a strong leader who is a lousy manager? and was competence part of the problem?
I work in research and I’ve learned that one of the most important skills the best researchers have is that they teach themselves, they dont wait to be taught. When in graduate school most scientists are taught this. Often material that was never lectured on is required learning and will be tested on. I once took a course where the professor said to read such and such a paper and be ready to be tested on it, no lectures, no review session, he basically said “teach yourself this material.” At the other extreme, when kids are in first grade every item is lectured on, the abc’s are taught, repeated, given for mandatory homework, rehearsed with quizzes then lectured again until the child grasps the information.
Being willing to teach yourself new things is a wonderful attitude to have in adulthood. Things like teaching yourself to parent better, teaching yourself to manage money better, teaching yourself how to repair or remodel your home or teaching yourself a new principle from the bible are good examples of things we should be learning on going.
It’s what you learn after you know it all that counts. ~Attributed to Harry S Truman
Learning to teach yourself may require two changes,
The first is really an attitude change the second requires a work ethic, teaching yourself takes effort, its not fun sometimes, I just want others to teach me something rather than learn it slowly. It might require we read a book or many books, it might require taking a course.
2 Timothy 2:15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
Teaching yourself is sign of maturity.
What are the things in life that you wish you knew how to do? or knew how to do better? why not teach yourself?
What have you taught yourself that you are glad you did?
