Lessons learned - leadership

Some of the great lessons I learned about leadership:

  • When you get that feeling of 'Uh oh, I'm going to have to do something about this...and I really don't want to do that...', that's a good sign you should do something about it - I need to learn to be comfortable with being uncomfortable
  • No matter where you go, relationships are the most important thing you can focus on
  • When things go wrong, ask: "what did WE miss here?"
  • Don't be afraid of the stick - it has a time and place
  • Be humble - success is a team effort
  • When a decision must be made, make it - indecision hurts the whole team


Leadership roles are a balance of do-ing & leading.  So what is the "do-ing" of leading?

  • Setting goals & objectives (helping tie business goals to tech team goals)
  • Providing guidance & mentorship
  • Measuring (doing KPIs right)
  • Following up (accountability)
  • Back-patting (ensuring people feel appreciated, give credit where credit is due)


This article about "Level 5 leaders" was a very interesting read that resonated with me.  
http://www.jimcollins.com/article_topics/articles/the-misguided-mixup.html

Further, I've started reading Ben Rockwood's "Express Executive Education" (and have a number of his recommended reading books on my desk) - some of this stuff is supremely interesting and is making a lot of stuff click for me.


Still really no clue where all this is leading, but it's a journey of growth that I'm really enjoying.

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