The nightmare of management? For those who are still interested
1. dla has dedicated itself to recruiting managers who will lead their employers into the future. What makes these people different?
One essential is, of course, an absolute determination to advance their career as well as the energy to quickly and competently navigate complex situations – and it goes without saying that they must also have the right professional experience. Our candidates are accustomed to being in a constant state of transformation, where the specifics obviously vary from employer to employer. If we consider someone in a Chief Technology Officer role, for example; they will be very comfortable managing complexity within the organisation and inside the tool landscape as effectively as possible. These people have to be able to penetrate networked organisations in minimal time, derive the appropriate decisions and identify informal channels of communication. Middle managers are also of interest to us, because although they make a significant operational contribution to transformation,
2. They don’t actually want to be at the top any more.
Yes, we are currently seeing a trend for potential successors to top management roles to choose technical career progression rather than a management career path. If this tendency gathers pace, in Germany we can expect to eventually face a crisis in management culture. From a purely demographic perspective, we currently need capable employees who are not afraid of long working weeks and who are able to take on a high level of responsibility. It depends largely on the company. But what image of management are C-level executives conveying? Is it just about power struggles and politics? Or have modern measures such as flexible working or diversity already introduced a breath of fresh air? That should certainly inspire successors to want to lead. Overall, the opportunities available to capable up-and-coming managers have never been better.
3. Let’s go back to the CTO role again. How good do you believe the communications skills of these managers need to be?
For a seasoned CTO, they should make up at least 50 percent. Why? During a radical change of technological direction, this person must be able to constantly question established modes of thinking and acting. They need to get their teams to work towards a common goal, deal with feedback in a considered manner and sell the vision to the “higher-ups”. In general, if someone trying to do this job by putting in 150 percent all by themselves rather than relying on their team, they won’t be able to hang on in this position in future. And the notion they could be an IT whizz tinkering in the server room is over. Managers today – particularly CTOs and CIOs – must be the top communicators within their departments.
4. And what about management skills for AI experts?
That’s something else altogether. In fact the way we see it, there is no ONE AI manager. On the contrary: AI projects are always the result of good teamwork. However, the people on this interdisciplinary team should also bring management skills to the table, so they are able to successfully introduce the use of artificial intelligence into the organisation. We are talking about specialists who can implement an AI strategy, who will keep an eye on the ethical and legal issues and who can also pull the strings externally. They engage in discussions with stakeholders in the economic and political spheres to determine which certification and test models are useful for implementation.
5. How difficult is it to find high-flyers of this kind on the labour market at the moment?
That always depends on which company is looking. We specialise in the IT and Professional Services industries in particular – that is, the big consultancy firms. Both these industries need the high performers we’re talking about. Most candidates already have a lot of management experience, including international experience, and would prefer not to operate within the confines of established structures. To facilitate the maximum possible development, what they need is structured freedom – and that aligns with our role as a challenger on the market, which itself tends to attract a certain type of clientele.
6. dla was recently ranked among Germany’s best human resources consulting firms once again by WirtschaftsWoche. The competition is fierce among the big players – how does dla assert itself?
We have been on the market for a considerable amount of time. This means that many of our clients come to us based on a recommendation. In addition, as a headhunting boutique we are smaller and therefore more agile – and, of course, independent. We have no lengthy assessments that candidates have to slog their way through. That is a huge advantage, particularly in the context of increasingly long appointment cycles. We also have experience from the largest consulting firms, but with the freedoms of a small, exclusive consultancy. Furthermore, we are regularly told that our proximity to the customer’s business is an advantage. Those are some very good prerequisites, right?
MARCEL RAMIN DERAKHCHAN
is the founder of dla, and specialised in filling top management functions in business and professional services companies. He particularly focuses on advising global strategy consultancies, IT service providers, software companies and hidden champions.