Shift from a Leader-Follower to a Leader-Leader Approach
The article discusses the shift from a leader-follower to a leader-leader approach in engineering leadership. It emphasizes the importance of empowering teams rather than micromanaging them, highlighting insights from Navy Captain David Marquet's book 'Turn The Ship Around.' The author reflects on personal experiences and the need for a cultural change in leadership styles to foster innovation and engagement among engineers.
- ▪The traditional leader-follower model can create bottlenecks and disengagement in teams.
- ▪David Marquet's 'Leader-Leader' model encourages empowering team members to take initiative.
- ▪Google's Project Oxygen found that technical expertise is less important than being a good coach and empowering teams.
Opening excerpt (first ~120 words) tap to expand
Shift from a Leader-Follower to a Leader-Leader ApproachWhat a U.S. Navy Captain Can Teach Us About Engineering LeadershipMirek StanekApr 21, 20253442ShareEven though today we lead people, we've most likely climbed the engineering ladder through technical excellence. Our code was cleaner, architectures more elegant and scalable, and solutions we built did work.Now, when we lead a team of engineers, we may feel that our efficiency has faded. The team waits for our decisions, innovation barely moves forward, and despite working longer and harder, we're becoming the bottlenecks we swore we'd never be.This is quite a common situation that makes us doubt whether we are the right people for managerial positions.
…
Excerpt limited to ~120 words for fair-use compliance. The full article is at Practicalengineering.
Discussion
0 commentsMore from Practicalengineering
