Delegation can be hard - especially when we are used to doing things ourselves. But the truth is, leaders must delegate to be effective, and it is vital to team engagement.

Although I fully enjoy time off, coming back to work used to be demotivating and produced a “sense of dread” at the end of my vacations. The same is true for many of my clients, one who recently told me he was struggling to “activate his brain” after a week off.

It was the most dreaded meeting of the week. We were trying to launch a cutting-edge software platform and the pressure was mounting as our release date kept sliding. Each week the cross-functional team met with the CEO to provide an update.

I have personally witnessed teams who not only struggle with collaboration but are in constant conflict. This includes blaming each other for mistakes, misunderstanding the actions of others, and complaining about teammates.

When it comes to recognition, we certainly want to reward our employees, but also motivate them. That’s why leaders need to carefully consider the type of recognition they are giving.

You can debate the answer to this question, but it is hard to argue the importance of self-awareness in leadership.

My client, Joe, had a really difficult conversation to navigate. He had an employee who was not performing well and it was affecting morale.

Effective leaders stay present for their people by putting away distractions. They build trust by actively listening, asking questions, and providing thoughtful responses.

Distractions are everywhere nowadays. However, being fully present for people whether it is 1:1 or in meetings, is an important leadership skill, and it is hard to master with all the distractions around us.

When my son with autism was young, one of the strategies recommended by specialists was to over exaggerate all of our emotions with him.

Engineers, programmers, and other technical gurus can become extraordinary leaders who inspire their people and lead engaged and collaborative teams. Some of the best leaders I know have technical backgrounds.

I haven’t met many leaders who actually like conflict and look forward to delivering a difficult message. However, dealing with conflict and delivering hard feedback is an important part of being a great leader and it is possible to do without demotivating the recipient.

There is no doubt technology is growing in importance in every business – whether it is core to a company’s products, processes, its infrastructure or its customers.

Most employees want to feel like they belong. They want to know they are appreciated, understood, and valued.

Most technical leaders begin as brilliant individual contributors. They are the master coders, the stellar problem solvers and the “go to” expert engineers in their domain.

Often times technologists stepping into a leadership role for the first time are tempted to lead by telling rather than empowering.

It was the most dreaded meeting of the week. We were trying to launch a cutting-edge software platform and the pressure was mounting as our release date kept sliding.

Is your team struggling to collaborate? I’ve personally witnessed teams who not only struggle with collaboration but are in constant conflict. This includes blaming each other for mistakes, misunderstanding the actions of others, and complaining about teammates.

How well do you know yourself as a technical leader? Great leaders have clarity -- they know themselves well. They play to their strengths, are aware of their weaknesses and recognize how they affect others.

We’ve all been there. Teaching someone else to do a task seems like much more work than just doing it ourselves. But what we often fail to realize in that moment is that it hurts us and our employees in the long run.