Leadership for Geeks: Seven Critical Skills for Emerging Leaders in Tech

by Janel Anderson | at MinneBar 11

Based on interviews with senior leaders in the Minnesota tech community, this session presents seven things emerging leaders MUST know to succeed. From communicating with the right level of detail to mastering the people part of leadership to answering the question "Will I be any less of a technologist once I'm a leader?", emerging tech leaders will discover key areas that will set them apart from the rest of the pack as they prepare to lead.

High achievers and high-potential employees are the future of our technology organizations. It is more important than ever for employees to adopt a thoughtful, strategic approach to building leadership skills so they can learn to lead “from the side” and also be ready to move into leadership opportunities as they arise.

In August 2015, Minnesota was ranked as the fastest growing state nationwide for tech jobs, with a growth rate of 8.36%. That growth means new jobs and the people in those jobs need strong leaders. Will you be one of those leaders?

All levels

Janel Anderson

Dr. Janel Anderson, owner of Working Conversations, helps technology organizations communicate more effectively so they can collaborate better, be more innovative, and get products to market faster.

Janel began her career in a start-up company where venture capital investors kept a revolving door on the senior leadership which prompted her to go to graduate school to better understand what makes for great leadership communication. After completing a PhD in organizational communication at Purdue University, she taught at the college level before returning to corporate America to run a user experience engineering department for a multinational corporation.

Janel combines her research background with many years in the corporate sector to provide engaging, motivating programs that are research-based and realistic and practical. Her technical management experience equips her to interact easily in technical settings with everyone from senior executives to individual contributors.

She lives in Minneapolis with her husband and three children. Outside of work, Janel serves the urges of taste and design as she reverse engineers recipes for dishes from her favorite restaurants in her kitchen at home.