A Question

A question, Can a great leader effectively manage a highly technical project in which they have zero knowledge as well as a moderately skilled leader with superior technical knowledge?

Yes, a great leader can effectively manage a highly technical project in which they have zero knowledge as well as a moderately skilled leader with superior technical knowledge. The examples that come to mind are FDR, Churchill and Dr. King. As for the examples of FDR and Churchill neither leader had the technical experience to lead a grand strategic world – wide war, but they had the foresight to surround themselves with individuals that had technical expertise to draw upon. Dr. King as young minister found himself in the middle of a state of injustice that called for leadership and Dr. King reach out to other such as Ralph Abernathy for counsel and support. Additionally, Dr. King reached out to Gandhi for his method on how to combat injustice. Tom Peters presents two principles which assert that a great leader can effectively manage a highly technical project in which they have zero knowledge. According to Peters:

Leaders are Talent Fanatics.
“Talent: Attract it, Nurture it. Mentor it. Reward it. Create the context in which it can thrive (p. 37).”

Leaders Nurture Other Leaders
Ralph Nader once said, “I start with the premise that the function of leadership is to produce more leaders (p. 38)

Henri Fayol, the French manger – engineer and father of the first theory of management, asserted in 1908:

… a leader who is a good administrator but technically mediocre is generally much more useful to the enterprise than if he were a brilliant technician but a mediocre administrator (p. 212).



References:

Peters, T. (2005). Tom Peters Essentials: Leadership – Inspire Liberate Achieve. New York, NY: DK. p37 and 38.

Wren, D. A. (2005). The History of Management Thought 5th ed. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons. p. 212