We're pretty good at knowing when someone is a good fit for a technical role. But how do we know when someone is ready for technical leadership or management? That's a lot more difficult, and that's because leadership or management—at any level—is a different job than working in the technology.
Here are some ideas based on the Modern Management Made Easy principles:
- Either generate or clarify the overarching goal for the team to fulfill. Sometimes, the people asking for the work don't know the overarching goal. Team-based leaders might need to generate that goal and verify it with their managers. And the middle managers might need to create the goal from the organization's stated strategy. However they create that goal, the people doing the work need to know.
- Create teams of people based on psychological safety. That means working in flow efficiency, using team-based feedback and coaching so people can collaborate. The team can succeed faster when people learn to discuss challenging issues with respect. As they practice their feedback and coaching, they create a better team environment and product.
- Look for signals such as: high WIP (Work in Progress), longer cycle time, and too long a time between demos or decisions. Those signals might mean the team has encountered possible challenges: interruptions, too many people asking for work, insufficient technical excellence, features that are too large, and much more. The more the team keeps its WIP low, with a short cycle time, the faster the team can finish its work. These signals also apply to management teams, not just technical teams.
There's another quality that all leaders require: value-based integrity.
Integrity Is More Important Than Any Other Ability
Many years ago, I wrote Integrity is the Most Important Requirement in a Manager. That's because I worked with people who did not show their integrity.
Instead, they:
- Created messes that other people had to clean up
- Made selfish decisions that benefited them, not anyone else. (No benefit to the customers, the team, the product, or the organization.)
- Lied to customers, teams, and senior management about various issues: risks, progress, and who had those great ideas.
I left those organizations and never looked back.
The more people use their value-based integrity for the good of the team, the organization, and themselves, the more likely they will succeed.
Integrity is the most critical quality in a leader. However, integrity alone is not enough. Leaders also need team-based interpersonal skills and capabilities to create an environment where everyone can excel.
That's how I think of when leaders are ready. What do you think? Let me know.
(This newsletter touches on topics in Hiring Geeks That Fit and the Modern Management Made Easy books.)
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© 2022 Johanna Rothman
Pragmatic Manager: Vol 19, #8, ISSN: 2164-1196