Leadership and leading people
Let’s move on now to talk about some of the principles of the philosophy of technology leadership that will apply to you as (or if) you move up in your organization, gaining responsibility for and authority over larger and larger groups of people and projects.
These principles don’t replace what we’ve already discussed. Rather, so far we’ve outlined the overarching philosophy (or point of view) of technology leadership. These principles apply to everyone at all levels of experience and success.
If you can learn to apply those principles to your life in such a way that they become a heart-learned part of everything you do, then often you will be given the opportunity to advance in your organization. This will happen because you’ll stand out as some-one with “potential” and “the right attitude.”
Not everyone will take this opportunity. Not everyone should take this opportunity.
Some people feel a very strong individual desire to stay on the front lines of individual creativity without the burdens of being responsible for others, and this is perfectly fine—heck, statistically it’s required. Everyone can’t be in charge.
But if you do feel called to contribute as part of your organization’s executing team (sometimes referred to as “management,” more below), you’ll have the opportunity to create or sustain a culture of change, creativity, and empowerment.
The principles we’re about to discuss will show you how. You usually aren’t given a lot of warning before you are promoted and need to apply them. It could happen tomorrow…are you ready?
Words, words, words
First, we need some definitions to get things going. The trouble is that the words “management” and “manager” have become so overloaded. In one context, they simply refer to the body of executives who are responsible for making the decisions and operating your organization. In another context, the words refer to the principles and those who apply them. The term thinks of people as resources to be placed against tasks and motivated to perform against schedules and milestones, whether they supervise other people or not.
The term I’ll use to refer the folks in charge is the “executing team.” Don’t misread that as Executive Team, that group of folks in the executive suite with passes to the private boxes at sports stadiums. In this book the phrase executing team will refer to anyone who’s leading a project or people or making decisions on the directions of the company (you know, folks who “execute” the mission of the team).
This really broad definition captures everyone from team leaders to presidents, and is what people sometimes mean when they say “management” or “management team.”
But when I say “management” I’ll be referring to the acts of—or processes related to—stimulating, motivating, and guiding people through the organizational red tape to get actual work done.
This project is about leadership. Management has a place, and leaders need to know the skills of management (managers likewise need to know the skills of leadership, but to infrequently do not). Leading is where the magic is, though, and that’s where you should focus your lifelong learning energies. By the time you are managing a project, you’ve already worked all the fun out of it. Well, I have anyway.
