I love this framework, Suzan! The functional rock star is missing such necessary people skills to navigate the complexities of an organization. I also thought this was a great takeaway: "So, if we need to hire or promote someone to lead a function, start by identifying a minimal list of functional expertise needed. We’ll probably want to take that list and chop it in half so we steer clear of the functional rock star leader myth."
Your analysis resonates deeply with my experience leading digital transformations at scale. The "functional rock star" trap is particularly dangerous in technology organizations where technical brilliance often overshadows system-level thinking.
The functional rock star also comes with a dangerous pattern: they act like rock stars instead of being team players and facilitators. I have seen this multiple times, and they damaged the whole engineering team, if not the company.
I'm so glad it resonates. I've seen this happen too. When technical expertise is valued above all else, these functional leaders aren't taught to value or acquire skills in navigating humans and organizational systems. They come to the task of organizational leadership with a whole slew of missing skills. While we often blame the functional "rock star" leader for their behavior, the company bears equal responsibility. Either way, this myth causes pain throughout the organization.
I get them from istockphoto. They have fantastic illustrations for a very affordable price. The hardest part is finding the right one that captures my meaning just so. I'm quite happy with this one.
I love this framework, Suzan! The functional rock star is missing such necessary people skills to navigate the complexities of an organization. I also thought this was a great takeaway: "So, if we need to hire or promote someone to lead a function, start by identifying a minimal list of functional expertise needed. We’ll probably want to take that list and chop it in half so we steer clear of the functional rock star leader myth."
Thank you for sharing!
Thank you for the kind words Belma! One of my goals is to shift our thinking around leaderships so I'm glad it resonated.
Thank you Suzan.
Your analysis resonates deeply with my experience leading digital transformations at scale. The "functional rock star" trap is particularly dangerous in technology organizations where technical brilliance often overshadows system-level thinking.
The functional rock star also comes with a dangerous pattern: they act like rock stars instead of being team players and facilitators. I have seen this multiple times, and they damaged the whole engineering team, if not the company.
I'm so glad it resonates. I've seen this happen too. When technical expertise is valued above all else, these functional leaders aren't taught to value or acquire skills in navigating humans and organizational systems. They come to the task of organizational leadership with a whole slew of missing skills. While we often blame the functional "rock star" leader for their behavior, the company bears equal responsibility. Either way, this myth causes pain throughout the organization.
I have to know who makes your illustrations!!
I get them from istockphoto. They have fantastic illustrations for a very affordable price. The hardest part is finding the right one that captures my meaning just so. I'm quite happy with this one.