Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Ask Slashdot: Is Development Leadership Overvalued?

Posted by Soulskill on from the or-is-followership-undervalued dept.

gspec writes "I am an engineer with about 14 years experience in the industry. Lately I have been interviewing with a few companies hoping to land a better position. In almost all those interviews, I was asked these types of question: 'Have you been a leader in a project?' or 'Why after these many years, you are not in a management? Do you lack leadership skills?' Sometimes these questions discourage me and make me feel like an underachiever. I found an article in which the author talked about exactly this, and I agree with him. I think in this modern society, especially in the U.S., we overvalue the leaders and undervalue the followers to the point that we forget that leaders cannot do any good if they do not have good followers."

9 of 252 comments (clear)

  1. I'm a damm good Indian!! by titanium93 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Some people are Indians, Some people are Chiefs. I tried my hand at being a Chief, But I came to the realization that not only did I enjoy being an Indian, I'm a damm good Indian! (And there is nothing wrong with that)

    --
    Sigs are for losers
    1. Re:I'm a damm good Indian!! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

      Are you a big endian or little endian?

  2. Leadership value by Larry_Dillon · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I think it's nearly impossible to over-value great leadership. I think the problem is that some tend to over-value the people in leadership positions (regardless of their actual leadership skills.)

    --
    Competition Good, Monopoly Bad.
    1. Re:Leadership value by AcidPenguin9873 · · Score: 5, Insightful

      I saw this picture recently and it sums it up nicely: http://media.lolwall.co/c/2013/04/boss-vs-leader_264722-624x.jpeg

    2. Re:Leadership value by Princeofcups · · Score: 5, Insightful

      I think it's nearly impossible to over-value great leadership. I think the problem is that some tend to over-value the people in leadership positions (regardless of their actual leadership skills.)

      That's the response that I expect from the majority of Slashdot, but I have to disagree. The concept here is that it's us (the developers) verses them (management). We've all been burned by bad management, and is more the norm than the exception. But a good leader/manager, with technical skills, can be worth 100 engineers. How do you ask? Well one engineer can only do the work of one person. But having 100 engineers working on a project that is pointless, has no potential, has no value, that is a waste of 100 people. A good leader is one who gets those engineers working on worthwhile projects, playing interference from those trying to sabotage it, and make sure that the result is complete and used properly. These leaders are few and far between, but you know the names of those with successful, groundbreaking, and influential products. We use them every day. And those would never have come to being with even the best engineers working without direction and constant interference.

      --
      The only thing worse than a Democrat is a Republican.
  3. Re:Leadership Styles by Zalbik · · Score: 5, Funny

    Watch Shrek - who is the leader?

    Lord Farquaad of course. He sent Shrek on the quest, married the woman he wanted, and did it will all the evil pointy-haired management techniques required by modern business.

    His big mistake was failing to invest in appropriate levels of dragon defense.

    Did you not watch the same movie I did?

  4. So answer the question by Antipater · · Score: 5, Insightful

    "I haven't taken a leadership position because I don't want to. I like being a developer, not a manager, and I want to stay as close as I can to the work."

    It's not a bad thing to assume that, in 14 years of work, you would acquire skills that you'd be able to pass on to others. You'd naturally assume a mentorship position, with leadership organically flowing out of mentorship. But that doesn't have to happen, and as long as you convince the interviewer that a lack of desire for leadership doesn't have to correlate with a lack of desire for work, you should be OK.

    It's a hostile question, sure, but those come with the territory in looking for a job. As with most other hostile questions, the best way to disarm it is to politely disagree with the inherent assumption.

    --
    Everything is better with chainsaws.
  5. Re: Leadership by Seumas · · Score: 5, Interesting

    "You've been an engineer for a number of years, why haven't you decided to push paper for a living, by now?"

    Sounds an awful lot like miserably married people with children asking people who enjoy their lives "when are you going to get married and have children? Why haven't you squired out children, yet?"

    Management sounds miserable, frankly. Since when has liking the career and field you've chosen become a negative? Do we go around asking MBAs "so, you've been a paper-pusher for five years, now, how come you haven't picked up a keyboard and started coding?"

  6. Re:Leadership Styles by RabidReindeer · · Score: 5, Funny

    Ah, but donkey led the quest itself.

    It's frequently an ass who takes the leadership position.