It’s both an exciting and high-stakes time to be a tech leader. They’re expected to not only make the most of their current tech stacks, but also to know what new technology tools and services are trending in their industries—and precisely how those tools can be leveraged in their own organizations. Further, in addition to understanding how to best guide their teams, tech leaders need to get a solid grasp of business fundamentals as they’re increasingly drawn into overall business strategy discussions.
Finding time for upskilling has always been essential for tech leaders, and nowadays, the lessons they need to learn are many. Below, members of Forbes Technology Council discuss the leading-edge skills they’re focused on honing themselves. From tackling the many facets of artificial intelligence to polishing communication skills, ongoing learning is an everyday initiative for today’s savviest tech leaders.
1. AI Scenario Troubleshooting
I’m focused on AI scenario troubleshooting—detecting biases, vulnerabilities or model drift. It’s crucial because generative AI can yield unpredictable outcomes at scale. Guiding teams to prototype and refine solutions enables them to pivot faster, turning uncertainty into advantage. It fosters learning, spurring innovation. This approach ensures teams stay adaptable, driving breakthroughs. – Murugan Lakshmanan
2. Delegation And Time Management
I’ve been working on delegation and time management—taking on less myself and trusting my team more. Strong delegation prevents bottlenecks, boosts efficiency and helps the team grow. It’s crucial for leaders to focus on strategic priorities while empowering their teams to take ownership and drive results. – Marcin Nowak, Decerto
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3. Leveraging AI To Enhance Efficiency
I’ve been sharpening my understanding of AI beyond the buzz, focusing on how to deploy it effectively in product and business workflows. Some leaders see AI as a complex frontier, but the real advantage comes from knowing where it truly enhances efficiency and decision-making. Tech leaders need this skill—not just to follow trends, but also to make smarter, long-term bets on automation and intelligence. – Srihari Maneru, Almabase
4. Vibe Coding
I have started working on vibe coding—high-level verbal programming with AI agents. Engaging in elevated dialogues with AI paves the way for a more advanced future in programming. – Anton Bukov, 1inch
5. Strategic AI Governance
Strategic AI governance—the ability to align AI deployment with compliance, security and ethical frameworks—has been my key focus. As AI integration accelerates, tech leaders must ensure model transparency, mitigate biases and enforce regulatory adherence to maintain trust, scalability and resilience in enterprise AI solutions, making this skill mission-critical today. – Mehwish Salman Ali, Data Vault
6. Cross-Functional Collaboration
I have recently focused on strategic cross-functional collaboration, ensuring seamless alignment between engineering, product and customer success teams. This skill is crucial in today’s workplace, where AI-driven automation, cloud scalability and rapid product iterations dominate. It enables decision-making, accelerates innovation and ensures tech solutions align with real business impact. – Srinivasa Rao Bittla, Adobe Inc.
7. Making Meaningful Use Of GenAI
As technology leaders, it’s easy to get excited about emerging tools and trends. With the rise of generative AI, leaders must develop both hard skills (mastering the technology) and soft skills (identifying new areas for innovation and driving growth). It’s important to not only implement cutting-edge technologies, but also to drive meaningful transformation across the entire organization. – Reena Tiwari, LexisNexis Legal & Professional
8. Note-Taking
I’ve recently been improving my note-taking strategy. As a tech leader in an organization that is rapidly growing, it is easy to lose track of important details. An effective note-taking strategy need not involve significant effort. In my experience, identifying and recording key pieces of information can be enough to radically improve recall and multitasking ability. – Benjamin Porter, Ameelio
9. Tech Simplification And Operational Efficiency
I’ve focused on simplifying technologies (including AI, ML, DevOps, microservices and data strategies) while driving data transformation for operational efficiency. Tech leaders must articulate ideas clearly to align teams, solve business pain points and unlock gains. Strong communication ensures transformation initiatives translate into real business impact and innovation. – Nihar Malali, National Life Group
10. Bridging The Gap Between Engineering And Business
In today’s workplace, where AI, cloud and automation drive decision-making, it’s crucial for tech leaders to bridge the gap between engineering teams and business leaders. Effective communication ensures alignment on priorities, secures buy-in for critical projects and facilitates cross-functional collaboration. – Swati Tyagi
11. Streamlining SaaS Processes Through AI Agents
One skill I’ve been focused on lately is understanding how AI agents can streamline software as a service processes and enhance user experiences and speed. As a tech leader, I believe the key is learning to integrate AI agents in a way that’s seamless and intuitive rather than overwhelming or intrusive. It is a fine art and balance. Users expect more intelligent, personalized experiences, which AI can help deliver. – George Stelling, Lunation Inc.
12. Customer Relationship-Building
Customer relationship-building is a business skill that every tech leader needs to develop. Tech leaders naturally tend to focus more on the problem than on the user. This often causes them to view the core problem in an abstract manner that’s disconnected from real-world situations and stakeholders’ experiences. Because of this, tech leaders may miss out on crucial insights. – Unni Nambiar, Aeries Technology
13. Data-Driven Decision-Making
Recently, I have focused on enhancing my data-driven decision-making skills by integrating AI-powered predictive analytics into our strategic planning. This hard skill is crucial in today’s tech landscape, as it empowers leaders to rapidly interpret complex data, anticipate market trends and adapt strategies to drive innovation and maintain a competitive edge. – Mohammad Adnan, Intuit Inc.
14. Considering The Effects Of Micro-Decisions
I’m strengthening my systems thinking to see how micro-decisions ripple across the organization. Combining empathy and big-picture awareness allows me to align my choices with long-term goals, respect others’ perspectives and foster collaboration. This approach reduces silos, drives better outcomes and is crucial for effective tech leadership. – Pradeep Prasana Kanagaraj, Mendel.ai
15. Strategic Conviction
I’m cultivating strategic conviction—the resolve to prioritize solving foundational problems over chasing trends. While many companies simply slap “AI” on products, conviction focuses teams on root issues. It aligns roadmaps with why problems exist, not just how to apply buzzwords. By resisting trend-driven pivots and pressure-testing decisions, conviction separates those shaping markets from those drowning in them. – Darshan Kapashi, Socratic AI
16. Balancing Customer Success And Team Resources
As a tech leader, I’ve recently focused on enhancing my ability to deeply understand customer problem statements, accurately assess my team’s potential and strategically plan resources. Prioritizing customer success and maintaining a clear product vision are essential for delivering solutions that effectively address market needs. – Saurabh Sarkar, Karbonara, Inc. dba Chicory AI
17. AI-Driven Compliance Integration
I’ve been strengthening our efforts to integrate AI-driven compliance into product development, ensuring security and regulations like ISO 27001 and the EU AI Act are embedded early. With AI shaping risk and compliance, automation is key to scaling efficiently. Companies that proactively embed compliance into their products gain customer trust, accelerate go-to-market strategies and avoid regulatory penalties. – Priya Mohan, KPMG
18. Presenting A Clear Vision
I’ve been focusing on presenting a crystal-clear vision. A vague vision goes nowhere, but a vision that’s real, concrete and easy to retell spreads. For example, instead of saying, “Let’s strive for better performance,” I now frame it as, “Our customers wait 10 seconds for a report. What if we cut that to under 1?” This type of shift makes a vision tangible and gets everyone pulling in the same direction. – Jēnna Reese, Connect Centric
19. Strong Writing Skills
I’ve been working on strengthening my writing skills to bridge the gap between technical and business stakeholders. The ability to translate complex technical decisions into clear, business-focused documentation helps secure buy-in for major technical initiatives. This skill is crucial as it enables better alignment between engineering goals and business objectives, leading to more successful project outcomes. – Naveen Edapurath Vijayan, Amazon Web Services
