A leader without real subject-matter competence

I’ve always hated one-to-ones not because they were annoying — but because they actually lowered my motivation. And I’m not alone: many senior developers I’ve spoken with feel the same. Most of my one-to-ones ended up being canceled or empty conversations.

For a long time I wondered: Why? Why would someone like me — someone who cares about learning and improving — feel they’re useless?

Eventually the answer became obvious: My manager could never help me grow my skills or give meaningful feedback. They simply weren’t anywhere near my level of expertise.

A Leadership problem — especially in Finland

We’ve built a culture where leadership = HR tasks + team wellbeing + other management. And it has led to this: We promote professional managers instead of people who are actually experts in the work their team does.

I think this is a huge mistake.

There’s an old saying: “Never make the company’s best welder the manager.” This has been considered a golden rule.

To me, it’s the best idea in the world.

Expertise-based leadership changes everything

When a team is led by someone who deeply understands the work themselves, leadership naturally becomes coaching. Such a manager doesn’t lead administratively but through their expertise and experience. The team wants to listen to them, learn from them — and it’s a privilege to be part of their team.

And yes, the best welder still has time to weld. But more importantly, they can coach ten new top-tier welders. The organization’s ability to create value grows exponentially.

“The best CTO is the one who leaves us alone”

A senior developer once told me that. I get the sentiment: when leaders don’t understand your work, their absence feels like relief. But that’s not good leadership. That’s no leadership.

What great companies believe

According to Silicon Valley Product Group, strong leadership is built on two things: deep expertise and a coaching approach. A leader who doesn’t understand the team’s core work and can’t contribute real competence can at worst slow development down. But when a leader truly understands the work and supports the team with their experience, the team becomes stronger.

This is also reflected in the leadership principles of the world’s top companies:
“Substance first; develop others through coaching; empower your team; focus on outcomes.” – Google
“Deep expertise; immerse in the details; scaling through teaching and coaching.” – Apple

These are not coincidences. They describe the same idea: the best leaders don’t lead from afar — they dive into the work, understand its details, and develop the people around them.

Leadership is the ability to make people shine — on their own terms and from their own motivation. ❤️