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Long term strategic thinking, experience to understand when trends and short-term solutions would be long-term mistakes, and the ability to avoid directly questioning someone with a skillset they don't have themselves about technical or complex issues.
Go through an intermediary. Like a department head.
The developers, engineers, and architects don't need your help, they need you to set logical long-term goals, hire good department heads, and schmooze with other CEOs in the same space.
Why not consult the people who actually know their stuff? It doesn't have to be a meeting with presentations, expectations and all that. Don't you think that management could use your help and advice to make good strategic decisions in the long term?
You do to some extent, mainly to verify that the technical aspects underpinning the decision is sound. However:
That's right, it's certainly not a good idea to leave the head of department out of the loop - this position should definitely be informed about every relevant process. I just think that it's in everyone's interest if senior management can be seen by the "common people" from time to time. It shows appreciation for the work and opinions of all employees and is also a good opportunity to make sure that no important aspects or overly technical details may have been lost on the way from the head of department to the executive floor. Just as you say.
I mean questioning as in second-guessing the people who actually know stuff. Not asking experts for their honest thoughts.
Management is one thing - C-levels is yet another kettle of fish.
In my experience C-levels rarely want the technical answer to a question, and will be personally insulted / defensive if the answer is something they don't understand. And they will ask their questions in such a way as to insult the expert. Two negative results that don't help the business in any way.
But Dept heads and the PM office will often be able to explain why certain choices were made, and how that aligns with the business needs, without the complexities that cause misunderstanding between two people of such wildly divergent skillsets.
Now if the CEO can also write the code, or run the wetlab instruments, and really does want the nitty-gritty, complex technical answer, that is a different story. And rarely the case in my career.
A C-suite executive isn't making decisions from a technical point of view. They have to balance their decisions across the counsel of several experts in their fields to choose the best option, with those recommendations constantly in conflict.
A C-suite executive is likely going to focus more on the impacts of the decision made, which can be a far different conversation than a technical expert is used to having.
I think we agree. CEO should not be making decisions from a technical point of view, so they should not be second-guessing the technical people.
I'm at the stage of my career that pretty much every job I take, I report directly to the CEO. And the difference between what they should do and what they actually do is why I made my statement at the top of this thread.