tech industry mentor

Leaders in Tech Companies Require a Different Kind of Leadership Development

Most technology managers and executives are promoted based on their technical merit and ability to produce results. Tech companies understand that good people managers become productivity multipliers, so they are willing to invest in some management training for their leaders.

Unfortunately, most executive coaching and leadership development programs use the same tools and topics for every other industry. Given their technical backgrounds, the unique expectations and cultures of tech companies and the challenges of their everyday work, it’s critical that key talent is trained and coached with a set of frameworks and tools that are relevant to their work environments.

Our Clients Include

At Emergent Execs, we’ve trained managers and executives in over one hundred tech companies.  In addition to traditional coaching and training topics, we address tech-specific competencies like:

Working with Grit

Grit is holding the same top-level goal over an extended period of time through passion and perseverance.  In tech environments that are often oriented toward short sprints, tech managers need to empower their teams to tenaciously face obstacles to long-term goals and development.

Management ≠ Leadership

Management is planning and directing the work of others.  Leadership is influencing others to follow you in a direction.  Tech managers are often confused about what “hat to wear” when leading their teams – manager, leader or individual contributor.  They need to be encouraged to wear the leadership hat more frequently.

Cognitive Bias & Good Decisions

Tech managers make everyday decisions that impact their companies, but often make those decisions based on intuition, past experience, or conventional wisdom.  With some simple tools, managers can learn to check their assumptions and make wiser team decisions.

Building Trust

Tech managers create an environment of trust through competence and getting the job done, but bonds of trust are built or broken through a variety of other factors like transparency, living by principles, considering the needs of others, and dealing appropriately with failure.

People Empowerment

Tech managers regularly ask how their direct reports are doing and check in on their project status, but are not intentional about professional development and real-time performance feedback.  We teach them to balance getting today’s work done and building their team’s capabilities for tomorrow.

“Emergent Execs are an important partner to us. Their Manager Catalyst offering is an excellent program that we’ve been able to implement globally. Ted  & Monica are knowledgeable, flexible, and very responsive.”

- Samantha W, Silicon Labs

 “We worked with EE to build a program that would address our specific challenges, engage our managers, and deliver what they needed - from tactical competencies to best practices. Our first cohort, included our entire leadership team, from the CEO to our line supervisors.”

- Lexi J, SecureLink

“Each session introduced concepts, strategies, and workable tools to help my people be more effective and confident managers and leaders.”

- Bailey G, Texas Facilities Commisison

“As a successful yet amateur executive, I recognize the limitations I pose to my business. Through the work with EE, I'm gaining the tools, structure, and accountability required to push through such barriers, toward the great potential of my venture.”

- Eddie V,    WellnessFi 

“We led an extensive process to identify the right coaching organization for our fast growth organization. Emergent Execs proved to be the right choice - they had a proven curriculum but were willing to customize and adapt the classroom conversation to address specific challenges we were facing at that point in time. Additionally their expertise in facilitating conversations with all levels made an impact on the business itself and how talent worked together to meet organizational goals and objectives.”

- Lauren P,  CLS Partners

“The best part of the classroom experience is being together with other leaders who share similar challenges. I've made great friends and business connections, and I feel that I have an
added support system.”

- Michelle S,  RetailMeNot

 “I loved the classroom experience and getting the opportunity to hear from other leaders in the tech space. Meeting with my coach helped me bring the learnings from the classroom back to work and apply them to my role.”

- Olga K, Indeed

 “I loved the classroom experience and getting the opportunity to hear from other leaders in the tech space. Meeting with my coach helped me bring the learnings from the classroom back to work and apply them to my role.”

- Olga K, Indeed

 “The coaching relationship took the classroom teaching and pressed it into my daily habits. My coach was relentless, yet kind in her approach, helping me squeeze out the bad to make room for a more thoughtful approach toward teamwork and accountability.”

- Kevin L,TengoInternet

 “Over the course of my coaching engagement, I’ve grown in step-functions, making big improvements in short periods of time across a number of areas: professional confidence/presence, leadership/general management, communication, prioritization, etc.”

- Nicole T, Spiceworks

 “EE classes validated that I am more than capable of taking bold next steps in my career.  The organizational and personnel challenges causing major frustration were real -- and there
were actions I could take to overcome them.”

- Mark P, Velocity Electronics