Career development

HBR: Can You Be a Great Leader Without Technical Expertise?

A HBR article examines the importance of technical expertise in management roles.

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Source: HBR (DANITA DELIMONT/GETTY IMAGES)

As young professionals (YPs) grow in their career, they often land at the crossroads of either continuing in a technical path or progressing to a management role. In 2009, The Way Ahead conducted three surveys among YPs to understand their preference between these two career paths. Approximately two-thirds of the respondents sought to pursue a management role.

In a recent article in the Harvard Business Review, Art Markman, Annabel Irion Worsham Centennial Professor of Psychology and Marketing at the University of Texas at Austin and founding director of the program in the Human Dimensions of Organizations, challenges the notion that these are two separate paths.

Citing studies that suggest that the best leaders know a lot about the domain they are leading, Markman argues that technical competence is key to success in management roles.

Read the full article here: Can You Be a Great Leader Without Technical Expertise?