Donna - Thanks for sharing this article. Here are my quick thoughts:
I think the author raises some good points that we need to consider. I DO think that many of our (audiology & speech-language pathology) leadership skills, when developed appropriately*, readily transfer to related settings and organizations. The key here is "related". I have worked with rehabilitation nurses and MBA's who have cut their teeth in rehabilitation and found them to exceptional leaders. I have also known SLPs and Audiologists who have made the
successful transition to hospital and medical industry leadership (both as leaders in rehabilitation or related service lines). There have been leaders with whom I've worked, who came from outside of the medical and rehabilitation professions, that have struggled to oversee clinical areas. The biggest challenge was that these leaders did not have a good understanding of what we do and why. Simply surrounding themselves with good clinical managers was not enough. They had a hard time judging the advice and opinions the clinical managers offered to create an informed decision of their own and poor choices were made as a result.
What I took from this article is that you truly need to understand the work of the group you are leading. Surrounding yourself with those that "know" is not enough. This resonates with my experience with leaders over the years.
I'll be interested in hearing what others think.
Thanks!
Kathy
*In my opinion, while some people do have natural leadership ability, to truly develop leadership skills requires purposeful learning and mentoring. Course work, training, and on the job mentoring is required. Those that do this have the best chance of making a successful transition into the leadership roles that they pursue or that present themselves.
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Katheryn Boada
Director, Audiology, Speech-Language Pathology & Learning Services
Children's Hospital Colorado
Aurora CO
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Original Message:
Sent: 12-18-2017 10:51 AM
From: SantiaM Sims
Subject: What do you think? Can you be a great leader without Technical Expertise?
Hi Donna,
Thanks for sharing this article! I think the author highlights some important points. While there are many avenues for continuing education and building experience, we shouldn't assume that every individual will avail themselves of the breadth of these opportunities, especially as regards those leaders who might be crossing domains. Working with a leader who is not well-versed in a specific domain can create situations of frustration and mistrust among employees/team members. I think that providing increased opportunities for volunteerism at various levels within an industry allow for individuals to learn more domain-specific information/processes, experience a variety of situations, and see how leaders in those situations act and react.
I think that good leaders should be able to transfer their experience and knowledge to other areas, utilizing appropriate avenues to ensure that they are best prepared to address the concerns of a specific industry. But perhaps we should also be examining those avenues of leadership education and attempting to strike a better balance between the focus on core skills and domain-specific training/problem-solving.
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Santia M Sims
Ann Arbor, MI
Original Message:
Sent: 12-14-2017 10:28 PM
From: Stephanie Sorrentino
Subject: What do you think? Can you be a great leader without Technical Expertise?
Hi Donna,
What a great article to spark some self reflection. I disagree with the author. I think while yes, leadership and experience are much needed, we have millions of channels where we can gain experience and learn. A true leader is not defined by their limitations of experience, a leader is only confined by their own self imposed limitations. Self awareness of your skills are important and doing what you need to in order to compensate/build on it for that reason, is even more important!
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Stephanie Sorrentino, M.S. CCC-SLP
Pediatric Speech-Language Pathologist
Clinical Fellowship Coordinator
North Shore Pediatric Therapy, Inc.
1308 North Waukegan Road, Suite 103
Glenview, IL 60025
Phone: (877) 486-4140, Ext. 2071
Fax: (847) 486-4145
Direct dial: (847)226-5393
Email: StephanieS@nspt4kids.com
www.KidsBlossom.com
Original Message:
Sent: 12/14/2017 2:03:20 PM
From: smileydf@archildrens.org
Subject: What do you think? Can you be a great leader without Technical Expertise?
Last week I came across this article in the Harvard Business Review by Art Markham (title is in the subject line). To read the entire article (pretty short) here is the link: https://hbr.org/2017/11/can-you-be-a-great-leader-without-technical-expertise?referral=03759&cm_vc=rr_item_page.bottom
This idea was intriguing to me. As a person who has been a leader in my work and my volunteer efforts, would my leadership expertise transfer to an area where I don't have specific, technical expertise?
I would be interested in YOUR thoughts on this issue (and hopefully you can take 5 minutes and read the article linked above. I will chime back in after others share their thoughts.
Thanks! Donna
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Donna Fisher Smiley, Ph.D., CCC-A
Audiologist & Audiology Supervisor
EARS Program @ Arkansas Children's Hospital
smileydf@archildrens.org
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