Customer Reviews

Becoming a Technical Leader: An Organic Problem-Solving Approach

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This book resonates in me more than any other book on the subject. Weinberg forces you to participate in the exploration of how a technical leader is created, and he provides *real steps* on how to get there. He also provides many short exercises for you to test your progress in your day-to-day activities.

While reading this book, I had several major realizations about work relationships, why people react they way that they do, and how to motivate them. The title of the book uses the term "Organic" to describe this process, and it is a very valid claim because many of the leadership qualities are not masks that you put on or tricks that you acquire. Instead, they are internal realizations and shedding of misconceptions and assumptions that currently prevent you from being an effective leader. Cathartic in a self-help kind-of a way.

This is highly recommended reading for technical folks in leadership positions, or those who are looking to become technical leaders. Weinberg includes many stories and examples which carify each chapter. The book is a very easy read.

A life-changing book. The best one I know about becoming a manager or supervisor. Written for any person who is competent in a "technical field" (e.g., medicine, law, computer programming) who is now being given managerial responsibility. Each chapter has brief but powerful journaling exercises to focus your observations and support your development. Unusually clear. A great resource on power and leadership; problem solving and innovation; vision and motivating others; leadership styles; and much more. He concentrates on increasing your mindfulness of the demands of your new role and sharpening your self-awareness of personal beliefs, behaviors, and traits that affect how you affect others. If you can't buy it, track it down on interlibrary loan

I have gotten more out of this book than any other that I have read. It is ideal for current software developers who think they might be interested in leadership. It begins with some basic ideas about leadership and how they will relate to the rest of the book. The real meat of the book is in sections 2, 3, and 4 which are dedicated to Innovation, Motivation, and Organization - the three key components of being a technical leader. Weinberg does an excellent job of explaining these topics as well as the barriers to them. Each chapter ends with a list of questions. You will not get as much out of the book if you do not take the time to think through and write down your answers. Also, you will be asked to begin keeping a personal journal in one of the chapters on Innovation. You will not regret taking the five minutes a day to do this. It is well worth it. The book ends with some advice to help you implement changes necessary to become a technical leader as well as understand why you want to do it. The book asks a lot of its readers, but it gives a good return on the investment.

I recommend this book to almost everyone I know. In addition to talking about management, Weinberg makes clear that anyone can lead, regardless of their official role. There are lessons in this book for everyone who works in a "knowledge" industry. And there are even lessons in the book that can help you be a better person overall.

Everyone should read this book, and you may want to own one, as there are passages that you will want to reference from time to time.

This book was somewhat misleading in that its focus wasn't on how to become a technical leader, but rather how to become a better person. By becoming a more open, well rounded individual you can excel at leadership, also asks the question "Why do you want to become a leader?" I found the most useful part of the book to be the section on the job-satisfaction graph which encourages an introspective review of where you've been, where you are now, and how to get to a more positive work situation.

Concrete advice about both how to assess where you are today, and what to do to become and be a technical leader. There are also some fun anecdotal pseudo-conversations that work as a nice interlude, and a great description of the tradeoffs between technical and personal strenths.

While a light read, I couldn't help coming away from this book feeling that it was longer than it needed to be -- the information density isn't terribly high. A few of the pseudo-graphs that appeared in the book also seemed to have mislabeled axes, though that may have been corrected in subsequent editions.

A mature version of Dale Carnegie's book "How to win friends and influance people" . A book with sincere ideas, not just techniques, on how to enjoy and work better with people.

Twenty years ago the print edition of this book allowed me to move from the middle to the senior ranks of my profession.
The book is easy to read, and full of conversational, accessible stories that clearly illustrate the important material.
The book is also demanding -- if you're serious about learning how to lead. It isn't an easy transition to make, and this
book gives you more tools than I've found anywhere else but in a personal mentor. It's one of the cheapest sawbucks
you'll ever spend.

It is most difficult for a technical expert to transition from a individual contributor to a leader. This book tells you exactly how to do that !!! Brilliant, witty and extremely enjoyable. One of all time classic on leadership.

Gerry speaks to you thought the book.. IF YOU HAVE ONLY ONE BOOK TO READ ON LEADERSHIP THEN THIS IS IT.

PLEASE, PLEASE, GO AND GET A COPY RIGHT NOW..YOU WILL THANK ME AND ALL THE OTHER REVIWERS ALL YOUR LIFE.

I discuss this book on Episode 7 of the Real Time Decisions Webcast if you want to hear some of my thoughts (search for it on the Web or iTunes). In short, this book helped me to become more comfortable with my role as a technical leader, understanding that the informal aspects of leadership are as important as the formal, or more so.