Can a Tech Career Coach Help You Navigate the Path to Leadership?
If you’re a professional ready to advance in your career, a tech career coach can help you navigate the journey.
As you advance in your career as a tech professional, you might start to consider a move to a leadership position. It’s common to worry that stepping into management could mean trading in hands-on, creative work for endless meetings, paperwork, and a focus on ticking boxes rather than building products. The truth is, though, that leadership can represent an exciting, complex new challenge—one that requires a fresh skill set, strategic thinking, and the chance to drive impact on a larger scale.
When considering how to take your next step professionally, my recommendation from years of tech leadership coaching is to first gain clarity on the type of leadership role that best aligns with your skills and interests. The right coach will help you to identify your strengths and values, if you’re unsure of them, so that you can make this decision with confidence. From there, a thoughtful plan to achieve that leadership position will define your path to growth.
Figuring Out the Right Leadership Role for You
When you picture yourself as a leader, what do you see? Do you picture yourself inspiring a team toward unprecedented growth? Or, maybe you imagine yourself as the expert in a particular subject area, and you’re disseminating information across a large group?
If you’re not sure yet, you’re not alone. A tech career coach can offer unique insights and ask powerful questions that reveal your vision for your future. In my leadership coaching sessions, I first help you to dive deep into your career goals, interests, and strengths so you can pinpoint a role that not only advances your career but also aligns with your personal vision of success.
Exploring Your Career Goals and Interests
By asking targeted, powerful questions, good career coaches will help you to examine what truly fulfills you professionally. Maybe you’re driven by a passion for product development, or perhaps you’re energized by problem-solving on an architectural level. Coaches often help clients uncover not only their current motivations but also the kinds of work that would bring the most satisfaction in the long term. This process includes an honest, non-judgemental look at your values and the type of impact you aim to have on an organization.
Identifying Leadership Paths in Tech
Once you have a sense for your goals and values, a career coach will go over the different types of leadership positions which might be a good fit for you. Leadership in tech varies widely, with paths such as team lead, product manager, engineering manager, and even technical program manager. Some even take the bold step into entrepreneurship, taking on leadership for an entire new startup. Each of these opportunities offer unique responsibilities and challenges.
Evaluating Your Strengths and Growth Areas
Once you’ve spent some time on self-discovery and identified a role or two in which you’d be happy and fulfilled, the next step is to evaluate your existing skills compared with those that a new position will demand of you. Here, a coach offers a realistic and objective assessment, highlighting where you already excel and identifying areas for growth. I help my clients to consider not only technical skills, like coding or product design, but also soft skills, such as communication, empathy, and problem-solving, which are often critical in leadership.
Deciding Between an Internal Promotion, an External Move, or a Leap into Entrepreneurship
If you feel strongly about your current coworkers and company’s culture (regardless of whether those feelings are positive or negative) you might already have an inkling to where your next career move will take you. There is much more to consider, though, than culture and friends.
Assessing Growth Opportunities in Your Current Role
For tech professionals who have strong established relationships within their company and enjoy the culture, I recommend first evaluating your potential with your current employer. A career coach can help you to take an objective look at your organization’s structure and commitment to internal growth. Regardless of the outcome of this assessment, I recommend also checking out the market for other opportunities, so that you’re familiar with all of your options.
Understanding When It Might Be Time for a Change
An external move can allow you to explore fresh challenges and even a different industry. If your current organization has begun to feel limiting, or if you identify that there may not be adequate opportunities for you to fulfill your potential, a change can be empowering. A tech career coach will help you to pinpoint companies that align with your goals and values.
Considering Entrepreneurship
For some tech professionals, the ultimate leadership role may not be in an established company but in a venture of their own making. This option can be a great fit for those with a high risk tolerance and excel at visionary thinking. When you build your own company from the ground up, you have the freedom to shape your own culture, hire the team you trust, and pursue your own cutting-edge ideas.
However, the challenges of launching a startup are significant, and understanding the risks, resources, and personal resilience required is essential. Since I also specialize in founder coaching, I am in a unique position to support clients who choose this path.
Book a Free Consultation Today
A tech career coach can be a powerful ally as you determine your next career move. I offer a free session for each of my new clients, and I encourage you to claim yours today.
