REDCOM's SVP of Engineering is quoted in UseTech's article

Managing a team of technical professionals requires a combination of both soft and hard skills. A development team may be different from, for example, a marketing team or a design team. Each team member needs a different approach and method of management, as well as a method of motivation. We surveyed experts involved in team management and asked them the following questions:

What are the differences in managing a technical team from a marketing team, for example?

Joshua Tiner, VP of Design & Engineering at REDCOM Design & Construction, notes: “Technical teams require a leader who understands the technical discipline that they work within. This maintains credibility and an awareness of the challenges that the team may experience, an important understanding for the leader to have when establishing and enforcing team schedules and deadlines. A technical team – in this case land development civil engineers – may also experience subjective comments and reviews by the outside governmental authorities having jurisdiction over the development project. These critiques can create a daunting work environment for engineers with less experience. Having a leader with the presence to remain confident, regardless of the challenge, helps maintain positive morale. A leader who is willing to roll up his/her sleeves and do whatever it takes alongside the team to meet the challenges is also very valuable.”

What methods of motivation in the team do you use?

“Slowly acclimating team members to one’s management style is very valuable because it provides the opportunity to explain the reason behind the expectations and establishes credibility with the team. Positive reinforcement for good work and an acknowledgement when one does the things well go a long way. Making sure that critical feedback is given in a positive light, and acknowledging why a mistake may have been made in order to learn from it, are effective in keeping team members learning and growing and motivated to succeed. Having financial incentives for success also help.” –Joshua adds.

Click HERE to read the rest of UseTech’s article, “Ways to Manage a Team of Technical Specialists”.