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Stay relevant

Some bosses don’t want their people to know how little they know, especially about new tech or other developments in the industry that have come into use since they had a more technical role.

Rather than hiding your ignorance, work to reduce it.

If your people are using software that you didn’t use “back in the day,” ask one of your top people to give you an “overview” tutorial. Give them some lead time to prep—they want to impress you. A short tutorial (30 minutes is good) will increase your understanding and give that person a chance to practice presenting to an audience. Give them feedback to confirm your understanding and to build their presentation skills—they might then grow to a more client-facing or team-development role. If they are clear and competent, they might also then have a role in training new hires, as well.

The initial tutorial can be the foundation—you may choose to schedule more tutorials over the next few months to extend your competencies.

Make sure that this “extra” activity is respected, appreciated, noted, and rewarded. If your team member is going above-and-beyond to keep you relevant, that should benefit them and their career success.

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