Attributes of technology leaders

A consortium of companies and universities has developed a certificate to help prepare senior engineers to become technology executives. One of the learning outcomes is that the target jobs are very diverse and demanding. To qualify that outcome, the participating groups have prepared a list of the attributes they consider to be essential in a technical leader. The desired attributes can be broadly considered in four groups: personal features, communication ability, operational (management) capabilities and technical skills. The paper concentrates on personal attributes since they are essential to the successful application of the other skills. A simple process has been identified to develop the personal skills in early industry training and in academic technology programs.