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Are You Ready for a Leadership Position?

I have worked with some excellent managers, people who were not only good at what they did, but also had great leadership potential. Sadly though, these managers didn’t invest in their own growth. They were so busy attending to the daily demands of the management job — putting out fires, resolving production issues, solving for customer escalation, moving from one delivery timeline to another — that they failed to build the skills required to become a great leader someday.

Like many managers in their position, they kind of assumed that by doing their job fairly well and staying in it for too long, they will automatically earn the leadership title. And I don’t blame them for this kind of thinking. For years, we have seen leaders rise through the ranks of the corporate ladder who had no business to be in those positions. When you see examples of bad leadership all around you, it’s kind of easy to assume you can be a leader too — after all, you consider yourself better than them. If they can be in those positions, you can be too. If they can jump through a fire hoop, you can jump too.

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How to Be an Engineering Leader: A letter to my past self

Everyone has their own definition of true leadership. What I didn't understand at the start of my leadership journey was that each of us is a leader. Regardless of intent, we influence and impact our communities, industries, workplaces, and relationships. Yet, often we don't understand the importance or impact of simply being present. So I wanted to write a message to anyone looking to grow into engineering leadership. This was the letter the younger version of myself needed and I hope that it will highlight the importance of self-empowerment in your journey.

To Whom it may concern,

Anyone remember by history has taken it upon themselves to venture down their own path. In some instances, these individuals stood their ground and continued forward in the face of violence, war, political and economic systems, beliefs, and stereotypes never before challenged. And so they changed the perspectives and consequently the lives of individuals around them. These individuals didn't stand out by being just like everyone else. Instead, they took up the metaphorical shovel and paved their path by taking actions in alignment with what they believed and desired.

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Top 5 Lessons for Every DevOps Leader

One thing about the DevOps route is that it comes with a lot of range. Two organizations may be using a DevOps approach, but differ considerably in how they apply it. Ultimately, different organizations will succeed or fail at DevOps for different reasons. Naturally, DevOps leaders implementing specific and widespread changes are caught in the middle.

Regardless of your organization’s structure, from a leadership perspective, there are several boxes you must check if you’re to succeed at DevOps. We are going to look at five of the most prevalent lessons that a leader can draw from executing a DevOps strategy.