What is your IT leadership style?

Question

I recently received the status of a project manager / supervisor. Do you think management should have a managerial role in Dev't programming?

What is your style?

Answer 1

Hands-off, the leader of the servants, the unofficial or “tribal” leadership over the traditional leadership, these days seems like a real rage.

In principle, getting out of the way and letting the team do their job seems to make sense to me, but it all depends on the culture.

I would say that an effective manager will already have a style and knows how he wants to work, while a less efficient manager will probably learn from other senior managers and simply imitate "however." In fact, in many places the latter is the only choice.

If you have the freedom to do what you want, I would rather borrow ideas from a flexible / lean camp than in the more traditional PMI / Prince2 / PMBOK camp, but it all really depends.

Answer 2

The task of the manager is to get out of the way and let the developers do their work. If they encounter an obstacle, your task is to remove the obstacle.

Answer 3

I do not believe the simple rules of management. In an ideal world, the task of a software manager would be to provide food, computers, electricity and salaries, but we are hardly in an ideal world.

In a sense, being a manager is a road to frustration. There are few opportunities for direct contribution to the project, you spend most of the time planning, meetings, writing reports and proposing future projects. In a nutshell, you have responsibilities, while they have the joy of building things. To avoid getting out of work due to lack of pleasure, you need to find the right motivation to justify the trouble.

Now different people are motivated by different things. Some people like to participate in group efforts, some like achievements in building things that cannot be built by single entrepreneurs, some like power, some like money. I believe that the management style should be adapted to the internal motives of all parties involved. For example, it is useless to try to motivate your colleagues with money if they are primarily interested in creating cool things (and vice versa).

A key competency in managing people is to resolve conflicts as early as possible. Conflicts range from trivial (X continues to make buggy code in the repository) to critical (we need to hurry to get the deadline). I think it is very important to be able to express such problems openly and clearly, regardless of management style. Thus, at the end of the day, verbal communication capabilities will be at least as important as management style.

Answer 4

I don’t think it matters which style you choose. When leadership is “broken,” it is usually associated with more fundamental things that are not being done right.

• Consistency: stick to your style if you're not sure if it doesn't work.
• Honesty: it may seem obvious, but when “cheating lasso” is too much with carrots and a stick, it can get out of hand.
• Respect: Tech-Guys has all sorts of different characters, but understanding what they value is easy - being passionate about technology and using it professionally will open hearts. Excitement about your iphone showing off attractive yet tech trivial apps might lead to the opposite;)
• Let me give you an example: do you, the technical worker, do extra hours? You also have extra hours!
• Motivation: you do not need a jungle camp every 3 weeks, but you can still help everyone feel better each other more often than family. Have a Friday beer session on Friday, if acceptable (be careful at different times, but don't drink until 18:00 for exmaple). Show interest in what people are working on, even if you are not part of the operations. When working on abstract topics, it can be difficult for people to relate what value they add to the company and the team. When “crazy" programmers can become lonely astronauts - having a wider understanding of their business, you will need to remind people of the mission (although this is mainly a PM task, but PM is also not ideal)).

After all, you are a good leader when your team says: "We did it!"

Answer 5

There are many methods with catchy names, but overall, I prefer the management style to be easy and encourage communication.

I suspect that many of us have had the experience of spending more time filling out forms than we actually have. Which disappoints or is not necessary. The controls are important, but the new form is not the solution to every management problem.

As for communication, many managers seem to believe that they will work if everyone reports to them and then sends the information they collect back. This can lead to disaster. The team must communicate well and often.

Finally, I would like to add that it would be tempting to use the new resource for the project and make it develop as quickly as possible, I think that in the end it will always be better to work to keep and get them properly prepared and project-oriented.

Answer 6

My style is a combination of Attila Hun, Napoleon Bonaparte and Nelson Mandela. Whatever you do, do not try to accept my style.

More seriously, to be a good leader, you need to develop your own style, and you must integrate it into the culture of the organization in which you work. So, the answer to your question should begin by asking yourself some insightful questions and giving them honest answers. You should also take some time to understand the characteristics of the people in your team and find out what makes them tick and how to motivate them as individuals. What works with one may not work with the other.

And while I write, I will direct a fleeting blow to respondents who suggest that this is the manager’s task to get out of the way and let the team work: it’s the manager’s task to manage, you have people you work with, who have certain expectations from you, and you should pay attention to them, as well as to the losers in your team.

I write "losers" because you have just been promoted, but they don’t. Undoubtedly, you must lead them to great achievements, but you will not do this by keeping them aside, you will do this by leading them in the right direction, with the right combination of carrots and sticks. Oh, and do not let them know that you think they are losers, it will upset them.

Answer 7

First of all; if you try to adopt a “style” that is not yours, you will most likely fail. You just have to be yourself! (This is probably why you got promoted in the first place). However, there are some theorems that can be accepted, one of which is “you can always be a better leader”;) I assume that is part of why you posted this question. I can advise you to support your employees and remember that it is your job to make them as possible as possible. Try to keep yourself on top of everything that happens within the project and encourage communication within the team. This helps develop a flexible style. In addition, try to bring yourself to your knees and try to imagine what they expect and want from you. Good luck.

Answer 8

There is no “style” that you can or should really focus on. The reality is that you are now a manager of people, and people are all different. You need to learn to recognize the differences in the people you control and react accordingly. This is a technical role, so if you have some technical understanding, it will help to gain respect for the team.

Some people need to say that / how, some people need a gentle product, and some need full ownership of the task. Learning the differences is where you need to apply.

Usually people get to 4 different camps with different names depending on the course of the day’s management :)

• Beginner, highly motivated, not very experienced, needs a more directive approach.
• A student who is more capable, but may be disappointed, needs coaching.
• A performer, very capable, but may lack confidence, needs support in his approach.
• Achievement, capable and perfect, requires delegation of tasks.

Answer 9

Management 3.0 Leading agile developers developing agile leaders in Jürgen is a book dedicated to answering these questions. http://www.management30.com/ . Its main page is here http://www.jurgenappelo.com/

In his book and class, he refers to Martie, the Management 3.0 model. It consists of

• Energize people
  • Empower Teams
  • Align constraints
  • Competency development
  • Growth pattern
  • Improve everything

An excellent introductory presentation can be found here: http://www.slideshare.net/jurgenappelo/what-is-agile-management

Jurgen is two key takeaway.

• The development team is a self-organizing system. Support him, do not bother him.
• Agile managers work as a team, not as a team.

Enjoy.