Developing Leadership Skills
Leadership as an ability. When someone takes on a management role, they only sometimes become a great leader. Management Consultant, Kathy Austin, has a fun quote, “Managers light a fire under people; leaders light a fire in people.” Leadership skills are complex. You can build leadership skills before a leadership role. Start building your skills before you need them.
Leadership is about inspiring and motivating those around you. As a leader, you must check your behaviors before asking others to change. Transformational leadership supports high performance, effective communication, and collaboration toward the organization’s goals. A good leader impacts a team’s ability to deliver code, design systems, and apply Lean principles to their work. Transformational leaders set the tone for the organization and reinforce desired cultural norms.
Companies, departments, and teams all draw on the concept of a “leadership team.” More than one person is needed to manage complexity which is why leadership teams exist. People playing all the C-level roles might make up an executive team. If you’re seeking leadership opportunities, find out how to join or participate in a leadership team near you.
An act of leadership is the most inclusive context. Skill and experience are something you don’t need permission to develop. These skills will also make you a more effective person. An act of leadership is not exclusive to a role. An act of leadership does not demand specific experience. Often though, an act of leadership requires courage. It highlights the team’s blind spot. Speaking out is an act of leadership that any courageous person can take. Leadership comes in all forms and shapes. Anyone can be a leader.
Recognize that it is possible to fake knowledge, particularly in the software industry. One way to become a leader is by developing expertise in your field. Individual contributors may seek to establish themselves as experts to secure their job position.
Effective leadership involves understanding what motivates and drives people rather than answering questions. Resolving problems with the relevant team members is often the most effective when problems arise within a team. This can be achieved by discussing personal topics and listening to team members. Adding an extra person to the conversation may be necessary or helpful.
Leadership skills help them identify innovation opportunities and communicate and execute their ideas. Leadership skills can help them to build solid relationships and work with others to achieve common goals. On the one hand, taking risks and being mindful of the hierarchy within the organization is essential. The inner conflict drives leaders to be more effective and advocate for their team. Team members should help each other to identify and solve problems. This approach fosters autonomy and independence, leading to successful and fulfilling outcomes.
Accept that no one knows what information will prove critical or in which hands information might change everything. More and better information, and more and better ways to make sense of it, is the source of competitive advantage in complexity.
[¹]: Staff Engineer: Leadership Beyond the Management track
[³]: Brave New Work: Are You Ready to Reinvent Your Organization?
