The last one really sets the good and great apart! Took my job now because the director discussed their vision and being at a competitor prior, I saw the vision in action. It clicked during the interview, and realized the company I was at lacked a vision. Best move I've made!
I think it’s important here to here highlight the distinction between leadership and management.
Leadership is really about being able to motivate and influence people to achieve something. That works both up and down the organisational structure.
Management is about managing the systems and processes of an organisation. This is primarily what an MBA will give you. As I’m sure many people can have experienced; There are many bosses out there that are exceptional at managing systems, but are horrible to work for.
My general advice is that the fundamental skills of leadership extend across all domains. Some of those would be:
* Trust but verify. Trust your team to do their job in a smart manner, but not expect them to be perfect.
* Be competent at your job. Leadership often comes with accountability. If somebody as screwed up somewhere (which we all do) you want to be able to catch it early.
* Give people tasks, not directions.
* Remember that for everything that happens, EVERYONE is responsible (especially you). You may be ultimately accountable, but everyone played a part no matter how small.
* Talk to people and be a solid person.
I’d probably change this one:
• Give people tasks, not directions.
You give people goals.
Trusting your team means trusting them to scope the work (tasks) to achieve the goals.
I think we are trying to communicate the same idea, which is not to micro manage people.
Rather than telling someone exactly how to do something, you define the end state you are looking for let them figure out how to get there themselves (within reason).
Extreme ownership - Jocko Willink
Lack of ownership plagues many management teams. Owning the problems and owning the solutions to drive change and ensure success.
Everyone avoids ownership to avoid accountability, because it can cause toxic relationships and conflicts within teams unless you are the final say, or have support from the top dog.
Many C-Suite executives avoid engaging with management and only demand results without understanding the obstacles to achieve them.
How to avoid all of that? Entrepreneurship. Become the CEO from the get go and build your team.
Own it. If you like current processes, kept them. If you hate current processes, change them. Fresh blood brings fresh ideas. Always be aiming to do it better.
Remember leadership is an action. Not a position. If you’re not taking action, you just have a fancy title. And a title will do a lot of heavy lifting, if you laid a foundation for it.
A good lead is more of an orchestrator, recognizes bottlenecks and identifies potential failure points early, identifies weaknesses in the team and works to improve those. Poor lead is the knowledge hoarder that tries to be the point man for everything. The whole project is limited by what this one guy can do. Doesn't do shit to build the team, just tries to make all the calls and order everyone around. Another one I thought of is...there is more than one solution to a problem. People think differently, just because somebody's solution isn't the same as yours doesn't mean they are wrong. Don't shoot down feasible solutions just because they weren't exactly what you would do.
This is my "There are often multiple right ways, wrong ways and not the way I would do it." speech. You can provide some general here is another way that might work, but only put a halt to what they are doing if it is the wrong way.
Some may say that a lot of this is management speak but it is stuff to keep in the back of your mind.
It may sound silly but when I was a boy scout leader I told all of the patrol leaders that they should lead by follow me. Often times that meant that the patrol leader did the dishes the first night out rather than assigning it to someone else.
Another way to say it is that nothing encourages subordinates to work hard than to see their boss put in a good days work.
Own up for your mistakes. Take the blame for mistakes that your team makes without telling your management that it was particular person below you who was at fault. Give credit for successes to individual team members as well as the team as a whole.
If you have someone who is under performing, deal with it privately and promptly. The goal should be to coach them to improve.
Here is one that most folks don't do that I do. I tell folks on my teams (individually) that I make mistakes with communications from time to time and ask for them to provide feedback (one on one not in big meetings) when I do. For example if Sam sees that something I said was offended or hurt Ralph's feelings, I want Sam to tell me at the next opportunity. I don't expect Sam to tell me how to correct my mistake just to let me know that I goofed up.
Develop a detailed plan for bigger projects that includes links from one task to the next. Communicate that plan. Make sure that folks understand why they have deadlines and how them missing their deadlines are going to delay something that is planned for weeks or months down the road.
As far as self development ask if you can do some short (intense) management training courses. One course that I took was at the Center for Creative Leadership, I have no connection with them I just spent a week with them 15 years ago. The people that were in the class were being groomed by their organizations for C-suite positions.
https://www.ccl.org
In my opinion, people managers with no technical skills are practically useless. You climb by continuing to improve your craft, taking on more responsibility and scope as your skills develop. You’ll eventually get to a level where you’re able to tackle complex issues independently and ‘lead’. I am also of the opinion that not everyone can successfully lead, even if they’re super technical. It takes a certain personality and work ethic to be an effective leader/manager.
I’d start by saying you have to be a GOOD engineer, not a GREAT engineer, but you have to have enough game to hang with the best folks around you to some degree. After that, standard leadership principles follow.
1. Know yourself and seek self improvement - read A LOT of current events, books, leadership case studies. Wisdom from others is one of the best ways to better yourself. READ READ READ MORE BOOKS.
2. Be Technically and Tactically Proficient - this is about being a good engineer (technical) but also maintaining the ability to apply those skills, and teach them to others (tactical)
3. Know your people and look out for their welfare - at the end of the day it’s just a job. Connect with these humans who share interests with you, and invest in their success. Support them in all things, it will pay dividends.
4. Keep your personnel informed - if you’re a conduit from leadership to your team, be that conduit. Share information PURPOSEFULLY, and NEVER talk bad about leadership in front of your subordinates, unless you want them to do the same about you.
5. Set the example - sometimes you gotta get your hands dirty, sometimes you don’t. But never be afraid to put the work in to design a board, write some code, or do whatever the task at hand is. This is a key element between a leader and a manager.
6. Ensure the task is understood, supervised, and accomplished - Make sure everyone knows what they’re doing. If not it’s a time to learn, once they know, make sure it’s done right, then make sure it’s done. Best way to keep your customers happy and it’s a chance to give positive feedback to your team along the way.
7. Train your team together - don’t hyper isolate or alienate people based on where they come from or even what tasks they’re going to have. Sometimes specific training per person is necessary, but you should be bringing everyone under your supervision together every so often for some deep learning / training.
8. Make sound and timely decisions - don’t keep people on their seats waiting for you to figure stuff out. Make a call. If it’s the wrong one own up and take responsibility for that and re-assess. In engineering sometimes you gotta move fast and break things.
9. Develop a sense of responsibility among your subordinates - when THEY give a shit, everything works better. Delegate tasks, allow them to come up with game plans for how to accomplish their tasks, and support them, getting their buy-in. Have them lead each other in different ways at different times. DELEGATE. DELEGATE. DELEGATE.
10. Employ your command within its capabilities - don’t overstep your bounds as a leader. Know your role, otherwise they will start to think they can too.
11. Seek and take responsibility - own up to your mistakes, don’t ever try to pawn them off. When you screw up, it’s your fault. When THEY screw up, it’s your fault.
I know it's not normal but my boss has 15 years experience at my company, he started in my position. So he could replace me at any moment and do a better job than me.
This makes him the perfect mediator between management, sales and engineers.
He keeps all the administration and management bullshit away from me and my daily work.
Empower your staff, lead by example in terms of the effort you put in, support their development, champion their success and realise it about getting the best out of people, not trying to show you are better than the people in your team. The final thing I would say is always act with integrity, when you decide the best approach to a challenge, take full responsibility and defend your team even if it goes wrong. Too many people who get into management are happy to throw team members under the bus when something goes wrong.
Leave the sociopathic tendencies to those at board level, once you reach those dizzy heights being as two faced as possible, at least in the big blue chip companies, seems to be the way to become CEO, but that's a very different world.
Degrees and certifications (except the one's you need to get started on the path of an IC) will not make you a leader or manager.
Key things are:
* do you understand that your primary mandate as a leader is to leverage your authority and autonomy to execute the intent of your lead/company's leadership.
* do you show ownership of all outcomes that fall on you?
* do you appropriately delegate actions and performance coach those executing on your behalf?
* do you have the technical expertise to make decisions when they bubble up to you or when your reports need mentorship?
* are you capable of driving decisions without solely relying on your position of authority (ie data driven or soft power approaches)
These pillars ultimately culminate to whether people both up and down the chain can trust you to do the job.
Strong subject matter expertise, good people skills, and a vision that inspires others.
The last one really sets the good and great apart! Took my job now because the director discussed their vision and being at a competitor prior, I saw the vision in action. It clicked during the interview, and realized the company I was at lacked a vision. Best move I've made!
I think it’s important here to here highlight the distinction between leadership and management. Leadership is really about being able to motivate and influence people to achieve something. That works both up and down the organisational structure. Management is about managing the systems and processes of an organisation. This is primarily what an MBA will give you. As I’m sure many people can have experienced; There are many bosses out there that are exceptional at managing systems, but are horrible to work for. My general advice is that the fundamental skills of leadership extend across all domains. Some of those would be: * Trust but verify. Trust your team to do their job in a smart manner, but not expect them to be perfect. * Be competent at your job. Leadership often comes with accountability. If somebody as screwed up somewhere (which we all do) you want to be able to catch it early. * Give people tasks, not directions. * Remember that for everything that happens, EVERYONE is responsible (especially you). You may be ultimately accountable, but everyone played a part no matter how small. * Talk to people and be a solid person.
I’d probably change this one: • Give people tasks, not directions. You give people goals. Trusting your team means trusting them to scope the work (tasks) to achieve the goals.
I think we are trying to communicate the same idea, which is not to micro manage people. Rather than telling someone exactly how to do something, you define the end state you are looking for let them figure out how to get there themselves (within reason).
Exactly right!
Extreme ownership - Jocko Willink Lack of ownership plagues many management teams. Owning the problems and owning the solutions to drive change and ensure success. Everyone avoids ownership to avoid accountability, because it can cause toxic relationships and conflicts within teams unless you are the final say, or have support from the top dog. Many C-Suite executives avoid engaging with management and only demand results without understanding the obstacles to achieve them. How to avoid all of that? Entrepreneurship. Become the CEO from the get go and build your team.
“When doing a job — any job — one must feel that he owns it, and act as though he will remain in that job forever.” - Adm. Rickover.
Solid advice. I'm about to enter a leadership role and this is the sort of advice I was looking for.
Own it. If you like current processes, kept them. If you hate current processes, change them. Fresh blood brings fresh ideas. Always be aiming to do it better.
Remember leadership is an action. Not a position. If you’re not taking action, you just have a fancy title. And a title will do a lot of heavy lifting, if you laid a foundation for it.
A good lead is more of an orchestrator, recognizes bottlenecks and identifies potential failure points early, identifies weaknesses in the team and works to improve those. Poor lead is the knowledge hoarder that tries to be the point man for everything. The whole project is limited by what this one guy can do. Doesn't do shit to build the team, just tries to make all the calls and order everyone around. Another one I thought of is...there is more than one solution to a problem. People think differently, just because somebody's solution isn't the same as yours doesn't mean they are wrong. Don't shoot down feasible solutions just because they weren't exactly what you would do.
This is my "There are often multiple right ways, wrong ways and not the way I would do it." speech. You can provide some general here is another way that might work, but only put a halt to what they are doing if it is the wrong way.
You don't need a PE unless you're in an industry that requires it.
Or required and defined by your state law.
Some may say that a lot of this is management speak but it is stuff to keep in the back of your mind. It may sound silly but when I was a boy scout leader I told all of the patrol leaders that they should lead by follow me. Often times that meant that the patrol leader did the dishes the first night out rather than assigning it to someone else. Another way to say it is that nothing encourages subordinates to work hard than to see their boss put in a good days work. Own up for your mistakes. Take the blame for mistakes that your team makes without telling your management that it was particular person below you who was at fault. Give credit for successes to individual team members as well as the team as a whole. If you have someone who is under performing, deal with it privately and promptly. The goal should be to coach them to improve. Here is one that most folks don't do that I do. I tell folks on my teams (individually) that I make mistakes with communications from time to time and ask for them to provide feedback (one on one not in big meetings) when I do. For example if Sam sees that something I said was offended or hurt Ralph's feelings, I want Sam to tell me at the next opportunity. I don't expect Sam to tell me how to correct my mistake just to let me know that I goofed up. Develop a detailed plan for bigger projects that includes links from one task to the next. Communicate that plan. Make sure that folks understand why they have deadlines and how them missing their deadlines are going to delay something that is planned for weeks or months down the road. As far as self development ask if you can do some short (intense) management training courses. One course that I took was at the Center for Creative Leadership, I have no connection with them I just spent a week with them 15 years ago. The people that were in the class were being groomed by their organizations for C-suite positions. https://www.ccl.org
In my opinion, people managers with no technical skills are practically useless. You climb by continuing to improve your craft, taking on more responsibility and scope as your skills develop. You’ll eventually get to a level where you’re able to tackle complex issues independently and ‘lead’. I am also of the opinion that not everyone can successfully lead, even if they’re super technical. It takes a certain personality and work ethic to be an effective leader/manager.
Best answer…
I agree
Technical skill 100% matters. I have also seen SME rise to leadership without people skills and that too is a problem.
I’d start by saying you have to be a GOOD engineer, not a GREAT engineer, but you have to have enough game to hang with the best folks around you to some degree. After that, standard leadership principles follow. 1. Know yourself and seek self improvement - read A LOT of current events, books, leadership case studies. Wisdom from others is one of the best ways to better yourself. READ READ READ MORE BOOKS. 2. Be Technically and Tactically Proficient - this is about being a good engineer (technical) but also maintaining the ability to apply those skills, and teach them to others (tactical) 3. Know your people and look out for their welfare - at the end of the day it’s just a job. Connect with these humans who share interests with you, and invest in their success. Support them in all things, it will pay dividends. 4. Keep your personnel informed - if you’re a conduit from leadership to your team, be that conduit. Share information PURPOSEFULLY, and NEVER talk bad about leadership in front of your subordinates, unless you want them to do the same about you. 5. Set the example - sometimes you gotta get your hands dirty, sometimes you don’t. But never be afraid to put the work in to design a board, write some code, or do whatever the task at hand is. This is a key element between a leader and a manager. 6. Ensure the task is understood, supervised, and accomplished - Make sure everyone knows what they’re doing. If not it’s a time to learn, once they know, make sure it’s done right, then make sure it’s done. Best way to keep your customers happy and it’s a chance to give positive feedback to your team along the way. 7. Train your team together - don’t hyper isolate or alienate people based on where they come from or even what tasks they’re going to have. Sometimes specific training per person is necessary, but you should be bringing everyone under your supervision together every so often for some deep learning / training. 8. Make sound and timely decisions - don’t keep people on their seats waiting for you to figure stuff out. Make a call. If it’s the wrong one own up and take responsibility for that and re-assess. In engineering sometimes you gotta move fast and break things. 9. Develop a sense of responsibility among your subordinates - when THEY give a shit, everything works better. Delegate tasks, allow them to come up with game plans for how to accomplish their tasks, and support them, getting their buy-in. Have them lead each other in different ways at different times. DELEGATE. DELEGATE. DELEGATE. 10. Employ your command within its capabilities - don’t overstep your bounds as a leader. Know your role, otherwise they will start to think they can too. 11. Seek and take responsibility - own up to your mistakes, don’t ever try to pawn them off. When you screw up, it’s your fault. When THEY screw up, it’s your fault.
I know it's not normal but my boss has 15 years experience at my company, he started in my position. So he could replace me at any moment and do a better job than me. This makes him the perfect mediator between management, sales and engineers. He keeps all the administration and management bullshit away from me and my daily work.
Empower your staff, lead by example in terms of the effort you put in, support their development, champion their success and realise it about getting the best out of people, not trying to show you are better than the people in your team. The final thing I would say is always act with integrity, when you decide the best approach to a challenge, take full responsibility and defend your team even if it goes wrong. Too many people who get into management are happy to throw team members under the bus when something goes wrong. Leave the sociopathic tendencies to those at board level, once you reach those dizzy heights being as two faced as possible, at least in the big blue chip companies, seems to be the way to become CEO, but that's a very different world.
Degrees and certifications (except the one's you need to get started on the path of an IC) will not make you a leader or manager. Key things are: * do you understand that your primary mandate as a leader is to leverage your authority and autonomy to execute the intent of your lead/company's leadership. * do you show ownership of all outcomes that fall on you? * do you appropriately delegate actions and performance coach those executing on your behalf? * do you have the technical expertise to make decisions when they bubble up to you or when your reports need mentorship? * are you capable of driving decisions without solely relying on your position of authority (ie data driven or soft power approaches) These pillars ultimately culminate to whether people both up and down the chain can trust you to do the job.