Becoming a Technical Leader

by Gerald M. Weinberg and  

Book Overview

Becoming a Technical Leader is a personalized guide to developing the qualities that make a successful leader. It identifies which leadership skills are most effective in a technical environment and... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0932633021
• ISBN13: 9780932633026
• Release Date: January 1986
• Publisher: Dorset House Publishing Company, Incorporated
• Length: 284 Pages
• Weight: 0.92 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

Excellent Book For New And Future Leaders

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.

Leadership for Everyone

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.

Here's a method that works!

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.

GrownUp version of "How to win friends and influance people"

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.

A gem. Powerful and life-changing. Does the job!

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