The Subtle Dynamics of Leading Without Authority as a Technical Lead - Oren Ellenbogen, Forter - DevOpsDays Tel Aviv 2015

1. The Subtle
Dynamics Of
Leading Without
Authority As A
Technical Lead
@orenellenbogen

2. “ We can make it all
better by using
microservices ”

4. WHEN MANAGERS SAY…

5. When you say "The code is not
really that bad”
I hear ”I’m blind and naïve”

6. When you say "We need to start
moving faster”
I hear "Do you really need to see
your family in the next 18
months?"

7. WHEN MAKERS SAY…

8. When you say "we should really
start using X”
I hear "there was some really cool
discussion about X in Hacker
News"

9. When you say ”The code here is
crap, we have to refactor it”
I hear ”It’s Tuesday again"

10. @orenellenbogen
Head of Engineering at
I also got hobbies:
http://SoftwareLeadWeekly.com/
http://LeadingSnowflakes.com/
http://lnbogen.com/

11. Given technical expertise, the intentional effort
of building trust with others builds your
authority.
Authority + kindness  technical leadership.
THE GIST?

12. [1] Willingness to build trust.
It requires a lot of effort.
[2] Good faith.
It’s a relationship.
2 ASSUMPTIONS:

14. BUILDING
TRUST
WITH
YOUR
TEAMMATES and get a cool t-shirt too!
<1>

15. “Got a bullet
stuck where?
Lets talk
about your
diet first”
PAIN LEVEL AWARENESS

16. Before you enter your next meeting:
What is your role in the discussion?
CONTEXT AWARENESS
<1> OWNER
<2> CONSULTANT
<3> PREACHER

17. • You’re responsible for the delivery & outcome.
• Lead the agenda and direction.
• Set an example.
OWNER

18. • You’re here to assist.
• Don’t steal their thunder.
• Be concise and pragmatic.
CONSULTANT

19. • You were not requested.
• You will rarely understand their underlying
pains.
• Help them imagine how it can be like, step by
step. Carefully.
PREACHER

20. BE AVAILABLE
If you’re communicating panic, don’t be
surprised when people stop showing up.
Own your time.

21. Lift your teammates' skills.
People want to be around others who make
them better. Be that person.
TEACH TO EDUCATE,
NOT TO CONVINCE

22. Pragmatic vs theoretical balance?
Overshadowing others?
Stealing “interesting” work?
Be sincere and people will open up.
CREATE A P2P
FEEDBACK LOOP

23. BUILDING
TRUST
WITH
YOUR
MANAGER
<2>

24. PROBLEM > SOLUTION(S)
Figure out how you can help your manager and
company win.
Understand immediate pains vs long-term
thinking.
BUSINESS AWARENESS

25. Feeling that you’re fighting instead of
collaborating?
Be explicit about your views and assumptions.
Ask for clarifications where needed.
ARTICULATE
MISMATCH

26. • What can go wrong?
• Milestones?
• Backup plan?
• Rough estimations?
• Can you own it? If not, who can?
• Do we trust that person?
PATH > DESTINATION

27. Organizational communication is built around it to
create alignment.
Don’t be a buffer.
Push > pull information.
USE ESTIMATIONS &
MILESTONES WISELY

28. This can reduce managerial load.
Help estimate & prioritize technical debt. Own
the backlog.
Figure out ratio of investment together with
your manager.
Judge old decisions with grace
OWN CODE QUALITY

29. Communication skills are underrated.
• Emails (status, postmortems)
• Internal Wiki
• Blog posts
• Quora / StackOverflow
TIP: who’s great at it in your company? Learn
from them.
WRITE MORE OFTEN

30. UNICORN
ALERT?
I DID
*NOT SMOKE
ANYTHING.
* intentionally

31. THANK YOU
WE’RE HIRING!
@orenellenbogen
oren@forter.com