Technical Leadership: Begins with Knowing Yourself

Being an excellent individual technical contributor does not guarantee success as a leader. The skill sets are not the same. The good news is that leadership skills can be learned just like technical skills can be learned. Both skill sets take time and practice. The path to becoming a leader starts with self-reflection and knowing yourself. This book covers a range of aspects of self-discovery with respect to technical leadership including understanding your own personality, discovering your unique strengths, acknowledging your needs and values, your preferred methods of information processing, your tolerance for risk and uncertainty, and learning emotional intelligence. Technical leadership shares many characteristics with leadership of people in general, but there are some key distinctions that make leading in technical organizations different. This book discusses those differences and highlights areas where technical leaders should pay special attention. Exercises in each section will allow you to consider your own principles, values, motivations, and perceptions of leadership. Knowing yourself is the first step to successful technical leadership and this book will set you on that path.