Education Programs to Sharpen Your Leadership Skills

While technology is indeed transformative, the people who are developing today's groundbreaking technical advancements are helping to transform all sectors of industry, including manufacturing, e-commerce, and financial services.

To continue to fuel technical innovation, companies need to support their employees. When businesses invest in the career advancement and education of their staff, turnover can be reduced significantly, and employee satisfaction and engagement can improve. Workers who don't believe they can achieve their career goals with their current employer are 12 times more likely to consider leaving, according to LinkedIn Learning.

By investing in leadership development programs for employees, organizations can retain their top talent and maintain a competitive advantage. Continuing education is vital not only for employees but also for the health of the organization.

The IEEE Leading Technical Teams and the IEEE | Rutgers Online Mini-MBA for Engineers programs help professionals who specialize in engineering and technology management to sharpen their understanding of effective communication, cross-functional teams, and soft skills.

Registration is now open for the Leading Technical Teams and Mini-MBA sessions in September, October, and November.

Helping team leaders reach their potential

The Leading Technical Teams program is designed for team leaders, managers, and directors of engineering and technology groups who have been in their role for a minimum of six months. The program is designed to equip participants with tools they need to flourish, unlock their professional success, and inspire and motivate their team.

The program has two components: a 360 Leadership Practices Inventory (LPI) and a six-hour, in-person training session at the IEEE office in either New York City or San Jose, Calif.

The Leadership Practices Inventory solicits confidential feedback from the leader's team members, peers, and managers on their strengths and areas that need improvement. During the training session, attendees receive their LPI results and participate in targeted, instructor-led exercises. Participants strategize solutions and apply best practices to their situation, learn the five practices of exemplary leadership," and receive peer coaching. They also discuss case studies that highlight challenges faced by technical leaders.

Participating in the program enhanced my leadership skills, benefiting me and my employer," a recent graduate of the program says. The program has improved my ability to influence my coworkers during day-to-day interactions, to transfer my knowledge to others, to interact with leaders in other organizations, and to mentor other employees. I found the leadership practices assessment to be very valuable, and I appreciated the anonymous feedback received from my colleagues."

Registration is now open for the October and November sessions. Active IEEE members are eligible for a discount. Fill out this form to find out more or learn more about IEEE Leading Technical Teams on the IEEE Xplore Digital Library website.

Providing business courses to technical professionals

Ranked as one of the top three mini MBA programs by Forbes, the IEEE-Rutgers virtual program offers foundational courses traditionally taught to MBA aspirants. The 15-week online program is the only online mini MBA curriculum designed for technical professionals. It offers expert instruction, peer interaction, self-paced video lessons, interactive assessments, live office hours, and a hands-on capstone project experience. Courses cover accounting, business communication, entrepreneurship, ethics, finance, management, managerial economics, marketing, operations, and strategic management.

The program's focus on business provided me with an opportunity to broaden my knowledge of business skills outside of my career field," a recent graduate of the program says. Overall, the coursework motivated me to learn and know more about the fundamentals of business management skills. I look forward to applying and sharing the knowledge I gathered from the course with my colleagues."

Registration is open for the September session. You can register here.

Making continuing education a priority

Successful technical leaders can identify and take advantage of market opportunities. They can communicate clearly, connect with people frequently, and mentor and develop their team members.

While members of technical teams are responsible for executing strategies on the ground, the team leaders must foster an environment of innovation, creativity, and growth and shift their focus from what they can produce to what they can inspire others to produce.

Technology is ever changing, and it is important for leaders to sharpen their management skills, providing an effective workplace for their teams.

Both of the IEEE programs offer tools and training that develop skills for all stages of career development.

That can be easier said than done: A staggering 93 percent of technical leaders surveyed recently by Workhuman acknowledged that they could benefit from management coaching.

Could you benefit from resources to help inspire and lead your team to success? Explore the tools and training opportunities that IEEE offers for engineering and technology professionals.