Here’s an interesting leadership thought exercise. Let’s say your team is walking along lengthy paths, and there are a bunch of boulders in the way along the path. Which of these is your initial reaction? a) Run ahead on the paths and remove all the boulders or b) Make sure each team member has a […]
I’ll be honest, I had to force myself to write this blog post today. But I already skipped writing for almost two weeks, and I told myself that I could not have another sandwich today until I wrote and posted a blog post. And I have to learn to be disciplined and keep my promises […]
As I was doing a Bible study group one time, a thought struck me. Bible study stories are always about these front-and-center great heroes and heroines. King David, Esther, Moses, Ruth, and so forth. It was never about “King David’s Third Spear-Carrier on the Left”. This thought stuck with me and it eventually began to […]
I heard a statement one time that introverts make good developers and extroverts make good managers. This preconceived notion stems from the fact that people tend to think of developers as sitting by themselves in front of a computer with headphones on, and managers on the phone or in meeting rooms all day. Thus, the […]
I have an analogy I like to use a lot. Have you ever felt like you’ve painted yourself into a corner? Or you see someone who thinks they have? This is a well-known analogy, but I’m going to take it one step further. Frequently when I see people who are convinced they have painted themselves […]
When you’re in a leadership or management position, being “nice” and being pleasant to work with can be an interesting balancing act. When I have studied management theory and leadership in a formal training or classroom setting, it seems like most modern education leans towards “Beta” leadership, i.e. influence and consensus building, instead of the […]
As a technical manager and leader, a great deal of your responsibility is to mentor, coach, encourage, and grow people. Accomplishing tasks and moving projects forward is indeed important, but you need to make sure that you are taking care of people. But in order to do this you need to have a toolbag full […]
I’ve been reading a pretty good book lately, it’s the classic How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie. It’s a really good book, not dry or textbook-y at all. Mr. Carnegie keeps the reader engaged with lots of anecdotes and stories about real life people. I highly encourage this book for anyone, […]
Something I occasionally get asked is, “How do I promote up? I want to be a technical leader or manager so what do I need to do to get there?” There are lots of things that spring immediately to mind: be a mentor, help others succeed, be a problem-solver instead of a complainer. I also […]
A very common question that I see asked is: Should I make the transition from technical to management? Let’s talk about this. Why are you even asking the question? The answer is probably because you’re looking for a raise, or for career growth, and your company/peers/mentors/society is telling you that making this transition is the […]
Knuggets of Knowledge 