5 Key Differences Between Business and Technical Leadership Paths
August 20, 2024BruceDayne
Brought to you by Stevens Institute of Technology:
Leadership is defined as helping people work to achieve something together. It’s also defined as communicating a vision or guiding and inspiring others. The truth is leadership is a multifaceted discipline. And there are distinct differences in how the paths to leadership unfold across industries.
Here are the five key differences between business and technical leadership paths.
Gaining Academic Qualifications
For many people, gaining the most relevant academic qualifications is the first step in the path to leadership. Indeed, they can sometimes give you the career boost that years of experience otherwise would. So, let’s look at how the qualifications for leadership roles in business and tech compare.
A Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree has traditionally been the path to securing an executive-level or C-suite leadership role. An MBA is still the best choice for people who want to carve out a career in business leadership and can ensure a much higher income, too.
Meanwhile, in the tech field, a Master’s degree in Science or Engineering (MSc or MEng) was usually the only sensible way to go. Fortunately, you no longer have to choose between an MBA vs engineering management if you wish to pursue a leadership role in the engineering sector.
It’s now possible to attain a degree specifically tailored for higher management in engineering.
Entering the Field
This is particularly noticeable when examining leadership roles in game development. Women often encounter fewer opportunities for career advancement, even with the relevant education and experience. This is fairly common across tech industries.
It can be much more difficult to enter the tech field than to get your foot in the door in the corporate world. And it can be even more challenging to reach a leadership role in tech than business. Fortunately, this is slowly changing.
Many tech companies now actively encourage inclusion and diversity and offer more opportunities for entrance into the field. And once you’ve gained access to the industry, it’s up to you to start working your way to the top. In time, the path to tech leadership will become smoother.
Applying Your Expertise
Leadership in either field requires knowledge of the industry, experience and expertise, good decision-making, communication, and strategic vision. However, the skill sets and expertise required of business leaders versus tech leaders have some distinct differences.
Business leadership is often transferable across departments and even across industries. The skills that facilitate good leadership in the business sector apply to many other situations. Technical leadership, however, also necessitates mastering specific technical skills.
You could rise to the top of the business world by being an expert strategist, without much (or even any) knowledge of how the products or services you provide, actually work. In the tech industry, this is less likely. Indeed, technical expertise is even more important than business acumen for a tech leader.
Continued Education and Training
Continued education and training are helpful for success in any field. But in business, the focus is on creating and attaining goals, as well as scaling and growing an organization. Much of the skills required to do this are innate, or attained through years of business experience.
Typically, continued education and training are not a necessity once you’ve reached a certain higher management position and/or an MBA. The path to leadership tends to flow naturally from there.
In the tech field, the focus is similar to that of business. But there is a driving force towards innovation, which is much stronger than in the corporate sector. Continued education and training are perhaps more important, including staying in step with scientific breakthroughs, tech trends, and innovations.
Online education now plays a larger role in advancing skills needed for STEM fields. An example is e-learning, which is making great strides in closing the gender gap in tech. Online courses on emerging technologies relevant to your chosen field will give you the edge on your path to leadership.
Progression Through the ‘Ranks’
Women have traditionally faced discrimination-based obstacles on the path to leadership roles. According to McKinsey’s Women in the Workplace report, the “glass ceiling” may be broken, but women still face a “broken rung” on the ladder to senior leadership.
If you’re a woman determined to pursue a path to leadership, you may find it easy initially to start climbing the ladder to the top in business. It’s at the step up to the manager role that the issue is most noticeable, particularly for women of color. This is even more of a challenge in the tech sector.
Leadership in the tech field centers around the intelligent application of tech expertise and progressive business strategies. Therefore, the path to tech leadership will be easier if you concentrate on building on your tech skill sets as well as exercising good business judgment.
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