Leading software teams well

Many who code aspire to lead software teams and help others to achieve great things. However, being a great coder does not automatically make you a great manager, or a great leader. Nor does being able to recognise bad management imbue you with the skills to do any better.

A number of myths about management pervade: some think that leading means “being in charge” and telling others what to do and how to do it, whereas nothing could actually be further from the truth. Others feel a great weight of responsibility, and are paralysed into inaction by a fear of “getting it wrong.”

To make things worse, developers can sometimes feel like management is only natural career progression path, yet many fear this means they have to give up coding for good, and focus on velocity charts, burn downs and an endless eternity of email. Let’s bust some of those myths.

Transcript

1. LEADING SOFTWARE TEAMS WELL Chris Parsons Scottish Ruby Conference 2013 Monday, 13 May 13
2. ASPIRING TEAM LEAD? Monday, 13 May 13
3. ACCIDENTAL LEADER? Monday, 13 May 13
4. FRUSTRATED MANAGER? Monday, 13 May 13
5. MY STORY Monday, 13 May 13
6. MYTH BUSTING Monday, 13 May 13
7. MYTH: LEADERSHIP IS MANAGEMENT Monday, 13 May 13
8. MYTH: LEADERSHIP IS INNATE Monday, 13 May 13
9. MYTH: LEADERSHIP IS CONTROL Monday, 13 May 13
10. FEAR VS. FREEDOM Monday, 13 May 13
11. ON DELEGATION Monday, 13 May 13
12. ON JOB TITLES Be careful what you wish for Monday, 13 May 13
13. ON HIRING Monday, 13 May 13
14. ON POLITICS Monday, 13 May 13
15. GIVE AWAY CONTROL Monday, 13 May 13
16. LISTEN But don’t take stuff personally Monday, 13 May 13
17. SET YOUR TEAM UP TO WIN @intranation & @yahoo_pete Monday, 13 May 13
18. LEAD FROM THE FRONT Monday, 13 May 13
19. LOSE YOUR JOB Monday, 13 May 13
20. IF YOU’RE ALREADY LEADING.... ...give away control Monday, 13 May 13
21. IF YOU WANT TO BE A LEADER... ...start acting like a leader Monday, 13 May 13
22. THANKS @chrismdp Monday, 13 May 13