When it comes to technology in the classroom, an integral part of a successful system is forming an unstoppable leadership team to guide the process.
Bobby D. LaFleur, chief technology officer at Spring ISD in Houston, Texas, and recent technology and Learning Innovative Leader Award winner of the Innovative Chief technology Officer award, discusses how he builds and supports his own IT leadership team.
Using EQ to Develop Great IT Leaders
The first step to creating a great IT leadership team is to develop great leaders. This might mean looking for natural talents and finding those with skills to offer, but who may not be the first to speak up or take charge.
“When I talk or think about leaders, I talk or think about the technology department as a whole,” LaFleur says. “I see that everyone has leadership skills and qualities. They just need to be nurtured.”
While LaFleur’s position as an IT leader might seem like it would focus more on the nuts and bolts of computer systems than people, I would disagree.
“I see my job as creating leaders and ensuring that clients are satisfied with the services provided,” he says. “Emotional intelligence encompasses a considerable number of skills that I use every day. The skills that are vital for me are empathy, respectful listening, responsibility and honesty.”
LaFleur focused on observing and learning from other leaders to improve his own toolset, but quickly decided that what he was seeing might not be the most effective way to truly take charge. He felt that his responsibilities went beyond simply being a manager of people and tasks: that relationship management was key.
“I constantly communicate with people and try to make sure they are mentally healthy by making them laugh and smile,” he says. “I try to talk to or greet everyone I come into contact with to show them that they are important by acknowledging them. Doing this makes it easier for them to open up and I can learn about them on a personal level. As a leader, I wanted to succeed, but I didn’t want to do it alone. “I wanted to bring others with me.”
Building from within
LaFleur believes that a true leader values the opinions and success of his team. This has led to an unconventional method of forming a team.
“When I was an application support manager and needed to bring a new member to the team, the interview committee was made up of other managers,” LaFleur says. “The options didn’t always work. I had to pivot and let my team have a say in choosing their team members.”
That change helped the team thrive and always go beyond expectations.
“By allowing them to select their team members, they chose people they could be friends with and who they could care about,” LaFleur says. “I sit back and marvel at how they collaborate and work as a team even when the situation doesn’t fit their job role.”
Five Steps to Develop a Great IT Leadership Team
For anyone looking to build a successful, long-term IT team, LaFleur suggests:
- Set an example of leadership — Maintaining control, even in challenging situations, ensures that a team knows that their leader believes in them and their abilities to get the job done.
- Authorize — Empowering leaders to make decisions and take calculated risks can help them build confidence and gain experience.
- Mentor — Creating opportunities for leaders to make decisions and take ownership creates a positive environment for people to be their best selves.
- Provide feedback — Create an entrepreneurial and empowered environment and then support team efforts with thoughtful feedback in a collaborative manner.
- Encourage — Being a motivator helps individual team members think outside the box when finding solutions to a problem.
Grow the next generation of IT leaders
Internships are an important part of career research, so one day a year, LaFleur’s technology department presents students along with the Career and Technical Education (CTE) department.
“We discussed several career opportunities they can explore within the technology field,” LaFleur says. “This program allows CTE students to apply for our summer internship program to experience paid on-the-job training. “Summer jobs are lower-level jobs that belong to the Technical Services team.”
This opportunity offers more than just words. In fact, of LaFleur’s current staff, ten members went through this program. They now participate in the presentation and explain to current students how internships, job exposure, and conversations with staff members during their time in the program helped them choose an academic and career path to secure a position within the department.
“After their high school and college careers, they joined our tech team and now represent all three different tech teams,” LaFleur says. “Every summer, we have three or four CTE students in our program.”
