Specialists lead
Companies usually also rely on the specialized knowledge of specialists to achieve their goals. These employees, who are usually excellently qualified, represent a decisive success factor with their knowledge and skills. The specialists know this. They are correspondingly self-confident. This sometimes makes their management more difficult.
Specialists are highly qualified - they know that. They are and act accordingly self-confident. Among other things, this means: They question decisions made by their superiors, confront them with their expectations and want to have a tangible influence on what happens in their environment.
In addition, specialists often have greater technical and experiential knowledge of their subject area than their hierarchical superiors. For this reason, they often cannot be guided by them, at least in terms of their expertise. It is also difficult for them to control the content of their work. This makes their leadership even more difficult.
In addition, specialists are often rare and thus sought-after employees due to their know-how and skills. Accordingly, they are courted by competitors. This means that their existential dependence on their current employer is low, as they have good job alternatives. That's why it's important to bind specialists to the company emotionally - for example, by
- offers them great scope for action and decision-making as well as attractive work opportunities,
- integrates them into decision-making processes and
- regularly signals to them how much they are valued as people and their work, and what a valuable contribution they make to the success of the company.
Here are 15 tips that you as a manager should take to heart when leading specialists.
- Check whether you are happy to have highly qualified and appropriately confident specialists on your team - even if they are sometimes more difficult to manage than "normal" employees".
- If no, realize that you need the know-how and active cooperation of the specialists to fulfill complex and demanding (future) tasks.
- Be pleased that your specialists are proud of their know-how and self-confident. Because without these qualities, they would not be able to perform their special tasks largely independently.
- Grant them the decision-making and action latitude they need to fulfill their tasks.
- However, seek regular discussion with the specialists about what their company's short-, medium- and long-term goals are and why. So that they have the necessary orientation and are involved in their work.
- In a discussion with them, derive concrete goals for their work; furthermore, factors that need to be taken into account.
- However, give the specialists a largely free hand in deciding how they will achieve the agreed goals and which paths they will take to do so.
- Consider your specialists as valuable advisors and supporters when it comes to achieving the goals of your division and the company. Signal this appreciation to them as well - for example, by asking them for expert advice on your own initiative when making decisions.
- Check the extent to which you may feel personally attacked when specialists question your assessments or decisions.
- Realize that this questioning is usually an expression of commitment.
- Don't take it for granted that your employees identify with their work and are committed to finding suitable solutions to problems. Give them credit for this as well.
- Praise your specialists publicly - for example in the team - for the valuable contribution they make to finding suitable solutions and achieving the division's/company's goals.
- Regularly ask your specialists what you need to fulfill your tasks - in the future. Also get feedback regarding your leadership behavior.
- The value of specialists' labor largely depends on their specialized knowledge. And this knowledge usually becomes obsolete quickly. The specialists know this, too. That's why you should offer them the opportunity to continue their professional development.
- Realize that high-performance teams usually consist of a large number of specialists who cooperate optimally. And the future belongs to such teams. That is why it is important for your success as a manager that you have the competence to lead such employees and teams. Work on it.
Dr. Albrecht Müllerschön
Dr. Albrecht Müllerschön is the owner of Müllerschön Managementberatung, Starzeln (Baden-Württemberg), which offers, among other things, a seminar "Leading High Performers and Self-Confident Specialists". The business psychologist is the author of several personnel reference books and was a teaching coach at the University of Tübingen. http://www.muellerschoen-beratung.de
