Leadership as a choice, not a rank!
Sundar Rajan Muthuraj, Clean Coder - Full Stack
Principal Engineer | Clean Architecture | Mentor
I don't think I need to introduce anyone to this talk, nevertheless, if you have not viewed it yet, it's high time to sink the idea from this 12 min talk.
As leaders, most of the times we are bogged down by priorities. And in the process, sometimes we overlook the most important criterion of leadership: People. If we take out a little time and reflect from the talk above - "Leaders are how parents to kids". Yes, it is.
As great leaders, do we have the following questions (and convincing answers) in mind?
1. Do we see the responsibility that we are the contributors to their (our team's) future - directly or indirectly, in the long term?
2. Okay. Understood the business angle from top. But the same doesn't stop us (leaders) to take care of our kids in home in the way we want to, isn't it? No matter what. Then, why should it be different with our fellow engineers reporting to us?
3. In a industry (like ours) were capable people jump like monkeys from place to place, do we (as a great leader) know how to help people grow in their career and in the process leverage them for the betterment of the company's business that we are leading?
I am sure - all great leaders (even if you are not a leader currently) will have convincing answers to these questions in mind. For all those - my request is to "please go ahead and lead"! And for all those who aren't sure of a reasonable answers to these questions (even if you are a leader currently), please try something else!
As leaders, we have a greater responsibility of keeping the business to progress as defined + taking care of our people's career that we bump into. Something very similar to how as parents we have responsibility to get/sustain expected social life + making sure kids grow up to take care of themselves and achieve greater heights that they aspire! We don't compromise one for another, we always balance - that's leadership!
And I completely agree - everyone person would like to work in a company that Simon finally left us in this talk! Happy leadership.