How to Make a Leader How to build frontline leaders in technical organizations
Technical expertise doesn’t automatically translate into leadership traits. So how do we help engineers, scientists, and specialists become confident and effective managers?
Leadership development expert and former SpaceX trainer, Matt Gjertsen, shares how to grow strong leaders inside technical organizations. Drawing on 15 years of experience across aerospace, defense, and emerging tech, Matt specializes in turning skilled technical professionals into confident, effective leaders.
You’ll learn:
- Why leadership is often the biggest blocker to scale, not technology
- How to engage technical employees in learning (even the skeptical ones)
- Why engineers are uniquely suited to lead and what holds them back
- The mindset shift new technical managers must make
Things to listen for:
(00:00) Introducing Matt Gjertsen
(02:09) Why technical leadership is a unique challenge
(03:21) Scaling hard tech requires solving people problems
(05:23) The leadership gap in reindustrialization and the trades
(07:59) A humbling mindset shift: You can’t lead alone
(10:12) Why engineers are better at conflict than you think
(13:13) Getting skeptical technical leaders to buy in
(15:01) Designing leadership programs that drive measurable change
(16:27) Microlearning done right: Narrow goals, real impact
(19:16) How to get employees to engage in training
(22:54) Start small: The fastest way to executive buy-in
To learn more about Matt, check out his LinkedIn and his website.
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About Matt Gjertsen:
Matt Gjertsen is a graduate of the United States Air Force Academy and former Air Force Instructor Pilot with 2500 flight hours. After leaving active duty, he spent over 4 years leading the training and development team at SpaceX before founding Better Every Day Studios in 2021.
Matt’s 20 years of experience working with and leading high performing teams all over the world has given him a unique perspective on what it takes to lead teams in this ever changing world. He has previously shared these lessons with organizations like the XPRIZE Foundation, Lockheed Martin, and NASA.
He and his team and Better Every Day Studios are now on a mission to train better managers, build better companies, and create a better world.