While there’s a broad spectrum of unique qualities in technology leaders today, these four traits are consistently visible in the most innovative leaders that organizations covet. Credit: Thinkstock The role of technology leaders has evolved as organizations continue to embrace the competitive advantages tech initiatives can bring to their organizations. While innovation and problem solving are vitally important skills, there are other traits that consistently appear in top tech leaders that are worth adopting. Here are four attributes I think every successful tech leader should possess: 1. They’re decisive. The speed of business is moving at an incredible rate. While some decisions must be evaluated and assessed carefully, the ability to make decisions quickly is critical to the success of any leader. An example of this might be identifying and hiring top talent for technology initiatives. The best IT leaders are decisive and hire quickly once they identify the right candidate. The key to building a successful team is not missing out on a great candidate because you took too long to make an offer. 2. They empower others. Top technology leaders create an environment of innovation where their teams are empowered to work both independently and within teams to solve critical business problems. While it’s important for leaders to remain current on project deliverables, top leaders seek ways to remove barriers to staff autonomy in order to fuel creativity, accelerate the pace of project implementations and realize the return on investment quickly. 3. They’re highly collaborative. Top tech leaders demonstrate collaboration in action and encourage it within their teams. Tech leaders understand the power in working together to solve critical business problems with technology solutions. They lead by example in working with leaders of other business units to create seamless strategies and expect the same from the members of their team. 4. They recognize team efforts. The most effective tech leaders highlight the good work or extraordinary efforts of their tech teams. They understand their team’s performance is only as good as the people they have on that team, and recognizing those efforts is key to employee engagement and retention over time. While there’s a broad spectrum of unique qualities in technology leaders today, the above four traits are consistently visible in the most innovative leaders that organizations covet. As you assess your own management approach, it’s worth exploring how you can adopt these qualities to increase your effectiveness in the role and within your organization and team. Related content news Top emerging IT careers for recent college grads It's that time of year when college seniors are graduating and entering the workforce. Recent graduates, or those who have entered the workforce over the last few years but may be interested in a career pivot, should explore options in IT. The t By John Reed May 26, 2016 3 mins Technology Industry IT Jobs IT Skills news How to get the most out of the upcoming summer hiring season Itu2019s a great time of year to be looking at your next potential team members. These tips can be beneficial in guiding you to increasing the success of a new hire for the employer and the employee. By John Reed Apr 25, 2016 3 mins IT Jobs IT Skills Careers opinion 3 ways to keep top performers from leaving Recruiting new IT professionals to your organization may be more challenging today than in the environment we were in a few years ago, which makes retention of your current staff fundamental to any recruitment strategy. The good news is you can do a By John Reed Mar 11, 2016 3 mins IT Jobs Careers IT Leadership opinion How to assess soft skills in an IT candidate IT professionals who possess strong technical and soft skills are highly valued in the marketplace. More and more, team leaders are placing a greater emphasis on candidates who have the right soft skills. And although assessing soft skills can be mor By John Reed Feb 09, 2016 4 mins IT Skills Careers Podcasts Videos Resources Events SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER From our editors straight to your inbox Get started by entering your email address below. Please enter a valid email address Subscribe