Books:

1. Title: Becoming a Technical Leader

Author: Gerald Weinberg

Becoming a Leader

The VIP Rule Visibility, Image, Performance.

No feature is ever that important that you need to put all your resources (e.g., >50%) on it.

Leadership is the process of creating an environment in which people become empowered. Instead of

leading people, Leadership leads the process.

Innovation is concerned with re-defining a task or the way a task is done.

Traits of a Leader

1. Is self-confident.

2. In control of his/her attitude, instead of leaving things to chance.

3. Doesnt give up, keeps going at it. However, stops if wrong doesnt let pride get in the way.

4. Keeps on improving.

5. Keeps on learning. Learns from his/her mistakes. Learns from others experience.

6. Is honest.

7. Thinks before talking.

8. Is modest and humble.

9. Tries to think of better ways to accomplish tasks.

10. Is aware of other peoples styles.

a. Knows whether an individual wants specific directions, or whether he/she wants to

figure things out him/her-self after getting the general idea.

11. Is detailed oriented.

12. Has a sense of humor is not dead serious all the time.

13. Makes people feel at ease.

14. Fights for his/her people.

15. Is willing to admit his/her mistakes.

16. When is complimented, responds with Thanks, instead of It was nothing.

17. Is straightforward doesnt beat around the bush.

18. Is respectful.

19. Is inquisitive and asks questions (but not in a condescending tone).

MOI Leadership Model:

M Motivation

O Organization

I Innovation

Problem Solving Style:

Understanding the problem

Flow of ideas

Maintaining quality

Understanding the Problem:

Read specifications carefully

Encourage teammates to do so

Resolve arguments by referring back to the problem statement

Seek clarification and additional information

Refer back to the specifications after work has proceeded for a while

Managing the flow of Ideas:

Contribute a clever idea

Encourage copying of useful ideas

Elaborate on an idea contributed by someone else

Refuse to let an idea drop until it is understood

Take the time to listen when others present their ideas

Test ideas contributed by others

Withhold quick criticism of others ideas

When criticizing, make it clear that you are criticizing the idea, not the person

Test your own ideas before offering them

Revive a dropped idea, if it has value for another part of the problem

Controlling the Quality:

Measure quality as the project proceeds

Design tools and processes to measure quality as you build a solution

Measure speed of implementation, compare against the project schedule, and be prepared to

change the solution procedure

Step back and refresh your perspective

Check ideas with the customer before implementing

Restore morale when an idea collapses

Obstacles to innovation:

The inability to see ourselves as others see us

Coming up with solutions before understanding the problem (convincing yourself that you

already know the answer)

Belief that there is only one solution, blinding yourself to alternative solutions

Developing Ideas:

Corrupting an existing idea

Combining two ideas to a form a new one

A vision is required in order to really people

Need for clear communication:

Devote attention to peoples problems

Explain why you are behaving a certain way what are your problems

Helping others:

When offering help, first check if they want it.

Dont offer help which you would consider insulting if offered to you

Even when people agree to taking help from you, it is not a lifetime contract

Attempts to help can be interpreted as attempts to interfere

A list of behaviors which help a person deal in a relatively competent and precise way with the world:

Be clear when they deal with others

Be aware of their own thoughts and feelings

Be able to see and hear what is outside themselves

Behave toward other people as separate from themselves and unique

Treat differentness as an opportunity to learn and explore rather than as a threat or a signal for

conflict

Deal with persons and situations in their context, in terms of how it is rather than how they wish

it were or expect it to be

Accept responsibility for what they feel, think, hear, and see, rather than denying it or

attributing it to others

Have open techniques for giving, receiving and checking meaning with others

Solutions can be decided upon by:

Individual everyone works individually

Voting

Strong leader A leader listens to everyones opinions, privately, and then makes the final

decision

Consensus Everyone on the team must agree with the decision

Voting is advantageous in situations where:

Politically, it wouldnt be appropriate to appoint one member over another

It is not known in advance who is the best informed member to make the decision

It is not known who would make the most effective leader

There is a fear that coalitions might form that could sway an open discussion

Nobody is willing to take individual responsibility

It is important to make everyone feel a part of the decision

When using Consensus to make decisions, the following needs to be kept in mind:

Every argument must be backed up with logic and facts

Avoid changing your mind only to avoid conflict

Encourage others to give facts and logic based on which others can be convinced

Dont withhold information just to be nice

When required, and using intuition, make it clear that youre doing it

A problem solving leaders entire orientation is toward creating an environment in which everyone can

be solving problems, making decisions, and implementing those decisions, rather than personally solving

problems, making decisions, and implementing those decisions.

Escaping time traps:

Dont redo work which youve assigned to others

Avoid trivial technical arguments to prove your technical superiority

Choose your own priorities, and dont wait for a crisis to organize your activities (pay attention

to what you do when theres nothing to do)

Get two for the price of one

Act as tutor / editor / review leader

Share the load

Listen to what other people have already learned

Let other people show you how smart they are

Minimum Direction

As a leader, anything you sayno matter how slightwill be taken as direction. The most minor opinion

becomes gospel. Its like a macro version of the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principleyou cant observe a

discussion without impacting its dynamic.

Unintended influence becomes a bigger problem as your influence grows. An executives casual

comment often results in person-months of effort. You must be very careful about what you say, when

you say it, and to whom you say it. Ideally, you should say the minimum needed in order to guide those

around you in the right direction.

Delegating Work

Giving good work to people who cannot handle it, or not giving those people good work both

spoil the relationship.

You need to groom people before giving them good work.