Cultivating Technical Leadership in the Pipeline Industry

YPAC & PRCI Panel and Networking Session

Cultivating technical leadership in the pipeline industry

 Tuesday, May 15, 2018

Session Outcomes:

What can we do to develop the next generation of technical leaders?

Discussion Points:

Technical leadership is more than expertise in a particular topic, it also having the soft skills and willingness to share and transfer knowledge, and ability to identify talent. It also involves driving innovation and pushing the envelope.

The panelists gave advice to young professionals on how to become a technical leader based on their own experiences. Having technical learning opportunities and good mentors is key, but there was emphasis on independent initiative: being proactive, showing interest, and getting involved with different areas and initiatives is key to developing skills and gaining experience.

“It takes work and experience to become a technical leader, the only way you are going to get it is exposing yourself to those experiences.”

Luck is when preparedness meets opportunities, so keep your eyes open and be prepared when the opportunity arrives.

Senior leaders and organizations can help motivate young professionals to become the next generation of technical leaders. It is expensive to give training and send people to conferences, besides the time away from the office, so organizations need to be willing to invest in young talent. A succession plan for technical areas is needed to ensure that key decisions are made by competent personnel.

PRCI is doing a good job on developing the next generation of technical leaders, and has recognized that there is a gap. Panels like these can kick off further discussions about structured and deliberate approaches for technical leadership development.

Comments and Notes:

YPAC would like to sincerely thank PRCI for the opportunity to participate in conversations about the next generation. It’s inspiring to see that there is a group of technical professionals that care about the future of the industry and about transferring their knowledge.