In the latest episode of the On The Edge by E1S podcast, we talk about what effective leadership really means in the IT industry today – and what distinguishes it in the world of outsourcing and body leasing.
Jakub Skorupski’s guests are:
🔹 Aleksandra Lemańska – leadership skills trainer, mentor and facilitator,
🔹 Mikołaj Kosyra – Services Delivery at Edge1S, a leader with practical experience in leading technology teams.
In the conversation, they combine two perspectives: practitioner and mentor. They talk about the challenges facing IT leaders, about team management in dynamic conditions, about empathy, communication and continuous adaptation to changing expectations – both on the client’s and the team’s side.
If you are interested in how to effectively lead people in the complex reality of IT projects – this episode is for you.
Listen now:
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YouTube:
DISCLAIMER: OUR PODCAST IS AVAILABLE ONLY IN POLISH (SO FAR)
Key Leadership Skills for the 21st Century: What Traits Are Essential for Managing Teams Effectively?
The world of IT is changing fast – technologies, methodologies, and employee expectations are evolving constantly. Today, an effective leader is not just a technical expert, but someone who can build a strong work culture, support people’s growth, and adapt quickly to change. This requires a set of competencies often referred to as “power skills” or leadership skills.
Lifelong Learning
Technology never stands still – those who stop learning quickly fall behind. A good leader models a learning mindset: reading, experimenting, attending conferences, and encouraging the team to explore and test new ideas. It’s not just about technical growth – it’s about developing social and leadership skills as well.
Practice: Schedule weekly micro-learning sessions (30–60 minutes) and build a knowledge-sharing habit (e.g., brown-bag sessions).
Communication Intelligence (CQ)
Communication is like a muscle – it needs to be trained and adapted to the listener’s style, motivation, and context. Communication Intelligence (CQ) is the ability to hear what lies behind the words – tone, context, and communication preferences. When mastered, feedback becomes effective; without it, even the best advice falls flat.
Practice: Use short diagnostic techniques (e.g., ask, “How do you prefer to receive feedback — in writing, one-on-one, or in a team setting?”) and teach your team to recognize different communication styles.
Adaptability and Flexibility
Change is the new normal. Adaptability – the ability to test, iterate, and learn from failure – is key. A leader who can shift from “this won’t work” to “what if we tried?” empowers the team to experiment and prevents stagnation.
Practice: Introduce a safe-to-fail approach – small pilot initiatives with clear decision checkpoints and rollback options.
Feedback and Recognition – Tailored to the Individual
Feedback has two sides: constructive input and appreciation. Both must be personalized. For one person, “great job” might mean a lot; another might need to understand exactly how their work impacts the business. There’s no universal template for effective feedback.
Practice: Teach managers the “language of recognition” and map individual preferences (written/oral, private/public, visibility of results).
Holistic (Systemic) Thinking – Zoom Out / Zoom In
A 21st-century leader connects the dots – understanding the relationships between technology, people, and processes. The ability to zoom out (see the bigger picture) and zoom in (dive into details) enables smarter strategic decisions.
Practice: Schedule regular reflection rituals – not just project retrospectives, but organizational ones as well.
Why It Matters (Research and Evidence)
- Natural leadership talent is rare — according to Gallup research, only about 1 in 10 people have an innate ability to manage others effectively. This highlights the need for thoughtful selection and intentional development.
- Leadership programs often fail when they are one-off and disconnected from real needs — Harvard Business Review has analyzed why most leadership trainings miss the mark and how to fix them.
- A lack of effective communication and poorly run meetings waste a significant amount of productive time — industry reports (e.g., Atlassian) document just how much time teams lose in ineffective collaboration.
Quick 30-Day Leadership Checklist
- Schedule diagnostic 1:1 meetings with each team member — ask about their learning and feedback preferences.
- Launch a four-week safe-to-fail pilot (a small technical or process experiment).
- Introduce a 30-minute weekly micro-learning and knowledge-sharing routine.
- Create a simple communication preference form (using PCM or another short questionnaire).
FAQ
Does a leader have to be highly technical?
Not necessarily – technical expertise helps, but managing people requires a different skill set: communication, adaptability, and coaching.
How much does a good development program cost?
You can start with low-cost initiatives like mentoring, one-on-one sessions, or e-learning. A full diagnostic and coaching program can be more expensive, but the ROI is often high. Harvard Business Review notes that poorly designed programs are a major source of wasted budgets.
