Be technically and tactically proficient

Being technically and tactically proficient, in my opinion, is fundamental to leadership because, even if you're in a leadership position, you can't ignore the technical aspects of what you or your people do. One of your primary responsibilities as a leader is to make decisions (or, depending on the situation, to facilitate decision-making), and in order to do so effectively, you must be competent. Furthermore, if you're going to evaluate other people in your field of expertise, you need to be competent yourself.

Developing proficiency may take a number of forms, but there are a few general implications for leaders or those who want to lead:

First, delve into the specifics of what your team, department, or organization does. Find out who the subject-matter experts are by asking around, and then spend time with them. Learn from their mistakes. Read the documents that are relevant to your work. These documents could be strategy documents, white papers, policies, or procedures.

Second, become an expert in the key processes that are important to your team. If you work in a larger organization, for example, you'll be a much more effective leader if you can be the go-to expert on how things get done—how resources are allocated, how to create a new position and hire people for it, how to find training opportunities for your people, and so on.

Third, identify a specific area in which you can truly excel. In a functional area like human resources, this could mean gaining deep expertise in recruiting, talent analytics, onboarding, or any number of other areas.

The point is that developing proficiency will increase your power and influence, making you a more effective leader. You'll be better equipped to make decisions, and your credibility will grow among those you lead. Because without proficiency, without that foundation of competence, your people will be constantly frustrated by your lack of knowledge. After a while, they may stop bringing issues to you and instead work around your incompetence to complete tasks. [1]

[1] BE TECHNICALLY AND TACTICALLY PROFECIENT

https://www.benbaran.com/blog/2017/3/15/be-technically-and-tactically-proficient-a-us-navy-leadership-principle