There are many managers who could be great Leaders, but always rely on management tactics when it comes to day-to-day running of a team. Most common reason given is that it is not easy leading such a *team*.

My personal belief is, yes it is difficult but not impossible. With bit of extra effort, it is possible to *lead* a team – than *manage* it.

Here is my list of 9 mantras for Leading a team:

1. Share the Vision. This has become a bit of a cliché but it still is true. I have seen managers coming up with great ideas, but just because it wasn’t shared early enough with the team, they don’t buy into it. Let them own the idea and see the difference.
2. Call on favors sparingly. But be available all the time. There are times when you need your team member to put in that extra hours. Don’t make that a habit – call on them once in a while when really necessary, protect them from unwanted overtime. But be available to them when they need you. Put in those extra hours yourself once in a while as well.
3. Lead with example. Set high ethical-standards for your work and see them reciprocate.
4. Empower them. Once the vision or any task for that matter is set and agreed on, empower them. Let them find their own way around, give them freedom to talk to other managers, senior managers, colleagues, etc. The more insecure you feel, more insecure your post will actually get. Step back and guide them.
5. Treat them with respect. They all have their strengths and weaknesses. Understand them, adapt to them and respect them for what they are. Give them tasks that they enjoy; the ones they are good at. It is good to have a team with various skill sets and of different level.
6. Give answers. A very simple statement, but yes I have seen many a times, a team member comes to you with a question and returns to his desk with more questions in his head and the original one is still unanswered. Give a bloody answer. More of ten than not they sincerely have a question for you and are not acting cheeky (i.e. testing your knowledge). If you don’t know the answer, accept it. Work with them, involve them in the process and find the solution. Don’t ignore them.
7. Get hands-on. This is mainly true with managers like me in technology area. There is nothing wrong in being less knowledgeable than your junior, what is not good is ignoring that and not doing anything about it. Get hands-on and try to understand what they are doing and how it works.
8. Ask for new ideas – and you’ll be surprised. Create a culture of continuous improvement. Motivate them to recommend new ways to improve their productivity at work. This could be tweaking the strict process your team has to follow or something like team building activities. Ask for ideas and of course carry out the practical ones.
9. Create a secure work environment. Everyone is an expert in their own right. Give them their space and opportunity to display their strengths. That does not mean you restrict them and not let them explore new challenges, but everyone once in a while likes to be in their comfort zone.

Adaptability – Quickly Adjusts to Change

People from the middle down are never the first to know anything in an organisation. They are usually not the decision makers or policy writers. As a result, they must learn to adapt quickly.

When it comes to leading in the middle, the more quickly you can adapt to change, the better it will be for the organisation. Here’s why. All organisations contain early, middle, and late adapters. The early adapters are won over by new ideas quickly, and they are ready to run with them. Middle adapters take more time. And then the late adapters slowly (and sometimes reluctantly) accept change.

Since you, as a leader in the middle, are going to be asked to help the people who follow you to accept the change, you need to process change quickly – the quicker the better. That may mean there will be times when you must embrace a change before you are even ready to do so emotionally. In such cases, the key is you ability to trust your leaders. If you can trust them, you will be able to do it. Just keep reminding yourself, Blessed are the flexible, for they will not be bent out of shape.

Need I say more? So if he is bending you out of shape, then you know what you need to do.

Happy bending!

…are some of the adjectives attached to someone who is ‘ready to change’ or NOT.

Many a times I’ve heard ‘Change is Inevitable. Growth is Intentional’. In regards to change what matters is:

• when you see it
• how you respond to it

I believe there are four types of people:

1. Some predict the change
2. Some are catalyst to it and help bring that change
3. Then there are some who adapt to the change. Sometimes willingly and other times not
4. And then there are those who ignore it and continue to live in their bubble

Which one are you?

I was recently recommended reading ‘Who moved my Cheese’. I’ve just started reading it, let’s see what lesson that comes up with.

I was reading The 360-degree Leader by John Maxwell in which he has listed when to Push and when to Back-off when leading up.

WHEN SHOULD I PUSH FORWARD?

1. Do I know something my boss doesn’t but needs to?
2. Is time running out?
3. Are my responsibilities at risk?
4. Can I help my boss win?

WHEN SHOULD I BACK OFF

1. Am I promoting my own personal agenda?
2. Have I already made my point?
3. Must everyone but me take the risk?
4. Does the atmosphere say “No”?
5. Is the timing right only for me?
6. Does my request exceed our relationship?

It’s a simple math here but also depends on the situation, that whenever you are going to go to your manager with an idea there are more chances of it being a wrong time than right.

The good thing about them is that the interviewees are not restricted to people from just one part of the world; neither to at what stage of their career they are at. We have just released our 25th episode of TWiST. We’ve had participants from all over the world who are at various stage of their career, though most of them are pros and have been around for a while.

My role in this is to identify potential speakers/interviewees from down under and organise recording sessions with Matt. I am also the co-producer of the show. Here are direct links to podcasts from down under:

• TWiST #11 – with Jared Quinert and Brian Osman
• TWiST #17 – with Marlena Compton, Oliver Erlewein and Farid Vaswani.

This is the link to a bonus podcast where I interviewed Geoff Horne: http://www.softwaretestpro.com/Item/4879/Bonus-Thursday/Software-Testing-Test-and-QA.

These podcasts are a great source of knowledge and helps one learn from other people’s experiences. If you are a tester then I’d highly recommend you subscribing to these – TWiST.

Happy Listening!!!

One lesson I brought home from it was – What is *Your* Elevator Pitch?

Elevator pitch is normally used by entrepreneurs (of start-ups mostly) to present their idea to potential investors; and the pitch needs to be short enough to be completed while you’re in an ‘elevator’.

The presenter recommended that every individual should have their personal elevator pitch – as in what is their vision in life, where they see their self in next 2 years, 5 years or 10 years.

Elevator pitch is also applicable when you introduce yourself. I’ve done this in past while introducing myself - “I’m a tester < period >”. And the person at other end has to guess rest of it. Instead you can make it easier on them by describing a bit more about yourself or profession - depending on the situation. I may say “I’m a software tester… specializing in process improvements… with a keen interest in technical testing…”

So – What is *Your* Elevator Pitch?

I’m sure most of you out there have one. If not – may be it’s time to prepare one

All The Best!!

Update: A video on what is an Elevator Pitch – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tq0tan49rmc

The book is about “Developing Your Influence from Anywhere in the Organization”

In the first section the author presents 7 myths that every leader in the middle faces:

1. The Position Myth: “I can’t lead if I am not at the top.”
2. The Destination Myth: “When I get to the top, then I’ll learn to lead.”
3. The Influence Myth: “If I were on top, then people would follow me.”
4. The Inexperience Myth: “When I get to the top, I’ll be in control.”
5. The Freedom Myth: “When I get to the top, I’ll no longer be limited.”
6. The Potential Myth: “I can’t reach my potential if I’m not the top leeader.”
7. The All-or-Nothing Myth: “If I can’t get to the top, then I won’t try to lead.”

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The author in her post Three Tips for Becoming an Energizer talks about the Energisers and how one could be an Energiser. I specially liked the introduction.

Some people become leaders no matter what their chosen path because their positive energy is so uplifting. Even in tough times, they always find a way. They seem to live life on their own terms even when having to comply with someone else’s requirements. When they walk into a room, they make it come alive. When they send a message, it feels good to receive it. Their energy makes them magnets attracting other people.

Just plain energy is a neglected dimension of leadership. It is a form of power available to anyone in any circumstances. While inspiration is a long-term proposition, energy is necessary on a daily basis, just to keep going.

Three things characterize the people who are energizers.

1. A relentless focus on the bright side. Energizers find the positive and run with it. A state government official in a state that doesn’t like government overcomes that handicap through her strong positive presence. She dispenses compliments along with support for the community served by her agency, making it seem that she works for them rather than for the government. She greets everyone with the joy generally reserved for a close relative returning from war. I can see skeptics’ eyebrows starting to rise, but judging from her success, people love meeting with her or getting her exclamation-filled emails. She is invited to everything.

…

2. Redefining negatives as positives. Energizers are can-do people. They do not like to stay in negative territory, even when there are things that are genuinely depressing. For example, it might seem a stretch for anyone to call unemployment as “a good time for reflection and redirection while between jobs,” but some energizers genuinely stress the minor positive notes in a gloomy symphony. A marketing manager laid off by a company hit hard by the recession saw potential in people he met at a career counseling center and convinced them that they could start a service business together. He became the energizing force for shifting their definition of the situation from negative to an opportunity.

…

3. Fast response time. Energizers don’t dawdle. Energizers don’t tell you all the reasons something can’t be done. They just get to it. They might take time to deliberate, but they keep the action moving. They are very responsive to emails or phone calls, even if the fast response is that they can’t respond yet. This helps them get more done. Because they are so responsive, others go to them for information or connections. In the process, energizers get more information and a bigger personal network, which are the assets necessary for success.

I can comfortably second these above thoughts. And I can also say that it is possible to adopt to these qualities as well. It does take a while, but it is achieveable. One of the leadership course that I had attended where the facilitator explained it quite well that one can learn to be a leader – he just needs to unlearn his old qualities/behaviour and learn new ones. Since then I do have practised that and have successfully changed a lot and I can say that based on some of the feedback that I’ve received. I’m not trying to say I’m the complete or best leader yet, but I could see the behavioural change, which I think is quite important as well.

The author here reflects on the book Clever where he reckons: “The paradox is that while they (clever people) don’t want to be led, they need leadership in order to achieve their potential and create value for society.”

The author of the book also lists dos and don’ts for leading clever people:

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The author here presents five tasks of leadership:

1. Leadership: Successful leaders willingly travel into the unknown.
2. Strategy: Successful leaders set an evolving course through ambiguity, complexity, and change.
3. Engagement: Successful leaders inspire and challenge people to perform beyond their own expectations.
4. Growth: Successful leaders learn and relearn in real time by stretching themselves and the business.
5. Innovation: Successful leaders imagine possibilities, discover opportunities, and release creative energies inside their organization.

From the book “Just Enough Anxiety” by Robert Rosen.

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