A while ago I had an experience that has direct application to technical management and especially technical management for women. (Certain information and aspects of the event have been changed, but the message is the same.) I was having a conversation with a woman who had retired from technical program management a while ago. (There is no need to explain the exact discipline she was in, just know that it was a very technical one and that she … [Read more...] about How Neurological Levels Can Affect Your Career
Technical Management
#67 How Technical Should A Manager Be?
Should a technical manager be a technical expert? Hello everyone! There seems to be an on-going debate about how technical an engineering manager ought to be. Some say that any manager worth his or her weight in salt has to understand the technology they're managing well enough to actually have answers and be capable of doing some of the work themselves. Others say that any manager worth his or her weight in salt doesn't have to … [Read more...] about #67 How Technical Should A Manager Be?
#26 The Technologist’s Dilemma
“What to do when you are good at everything” Good evening! This weekend I went to the birthday party of a colleague. At the party I met an engineer, we'll call him Pete. Now Pete was in his mid-forties, a post-doc at a major university and, working at a small software startup. We struck up a conversation and after he found out what I do he invariably made the statement, "Wow, maybe I should attend some of your classes." As we talked about his … [Read more...] about #26 The Technologist’s Dilemma
#22 Being Understood #2
Being Understood #2 “Imagine Being Understood - Again” Good evening! I want to spend one more blog entry on the topic of "context." In the last blog I introduced you to the phrase "I didn't steal your wallet." and I showed you how if you repeated the phrase several times with emphasis on different words each time, you could convey different meanings. For example, below I've written the same phrase over and over again. I've made one of … [Read more...] about #22 Being Understood #2
#21 Being Understood
Being Understood ”Imagine Being Understood” Good day! Imagine… imagine what it would be like if whenever you communicated with anyone, you were… completely understood. Imagine what it would be like to say something to someone face-to-face, and… be completely understood. Imagine writing a memo or speaking on the phone and always being clearly and… totally understood. In fact, imagine the unthinkable… imagine sending an email and always, … [Read more...] about #21 Being Understood
#15 A Million and One
Have It Your Way ”A Million and One Ways to Lead!” Good evening! If you’ve been reading my recent blogs you have probably gotten the seemingly radical message that there are a million and one ways to manage and/or lead. There is the best way to manage or lead in any given situation and the best way … depends. It depends on the context, the situation. This is the reason that, if we are to measure a successful leader by the amount of … [Read more...] about #15 A Million and One