Expertise–what leaders know–is key for gaining approval and respect from followers and subordinates. Leaders without expertise are perceived as incompetent.

At the same time, expertise alone does not ensure that the right decisions are made. Leadership involves making decisions under uncertainty, so expertise is often less useful than experience, emotional intelligence, and intuition.

Also, since most real-world problems don’t have a clear-cut solution, leaders’ ability to persuade subordinates and followers that their decisions are right are as important as their actual decisions. It is for these two reasons that so many technical experts have very little potential for leadership.