12 Leadership Hacks For Building Great Teams

"People don't quit their job, they quit their boss"

Ever wondered if there is a way to systematically get better as a manager? What if you could apply concepts such as "code reviews" to your managerial decisions? What if you could learn how to help your teammates become more productive without micro-manage them?

Managing people is hard, I know because I’m a practitioner, not a theorist. Learn from detailed insights, based on building, growing and mentoring teams and managers over the last 6 years.

In this talk, you will learn 12 pragmatic and actionable ways to boost your management skills.

Transcript

3. said: I am reminded every day that engineers leave managers not companies. Managers, this should keep you up at night. -- @eliast
4. Mike Myatt said: Great leaders create culture by design, while average leaders allow culture to evolve by default
6. • Full-stack Engineer @ Commerce Sciences • ex. Sears Israel Director of Engineering • Blog: lnbogen.com • I tweet @orenellenbogen You can call me bogen (pronounced: BOO-GEN)
7. SoftwareLeadWeekly.com LeadingSnowflakes.com
8. 1st
13. Photo credit: ekampf
14. Scaling humans is hard.
16. Reminder No more “one man show”. Sorry. (subtle)
17. Then Now The real question: How do you make your teammates X10 better?
18. Measure your own journey as a leader (self-management) Little things you can do to inspire your team Avoid the local maxima trap
19. Create a system where you can proactively learn from others tool #
21. • • •
22. Confidence  trust and openness tool #
23. • • •
24. Intentional peer pressure will create learning opportunities tool #
25. Break feature into small pieces together Create interfaces & mocks Task A Task A Task B Task B Task C Task C Integration … … Peer pressure Code review Co-ownership Design + Estimation skills
26. tool # Reduce philosophical debates and unicorn-style solutions
28. said: Embrace simplicity in your product and in your code. The value is in what gets used, not what gets built. -- @kgale
29. How would we know if it’s working or not? Will it be easy to… 1. Add new features? 2. Change existing feature? 3. Get a new teammate to become productive?
30. “Pull” < “Push” (particularly in a leading position) tool #
31. Will save you from: 1. Constant double-checking (your boss & peers) 2. Wasting mental energy “cycles” Don’t underestimate the 2nd bullet.
32. Measure your own journey as a leader (self-management)   Little things you can do to inspire your team Avoid the local maxima trap
33. HR shouldn’t be responsible for your team’s happiness vibe #
34. • Welcoming new employee • Birthdays and holidays • Life changing events • Fun days for the team Don’t be a technical robot
35. Show that you care about their success vibe #
36. We are all great at something.
38. vibe # What makes you different?
39. http://blog.flickr.net/en/2013/04/19/dad-illustrates-kids-sandwich-bags-with-imaginative-drawings/
40. One little poster… Cost: $20 + 15 minutes Value: 
41. The last person to join the company is responsible to create a “starter kit” for the next one to join Hires How To Use Your Unfair Advantage To Create an Unforgettable First Day For New Read more:
42. Leading by example means to put yourself in their shoes too vibe #
43. To a level where you can: 1. Conduct an intelligent conversation. 2. Provide feedback. 3. Help with prioritization. Can they own it? Can they educate the team?
44. It’s a 2-side commitment vibe #
45. “He’s young and bit arrogant, but so incredibly talented! No one seems to enjoy working with him, but I know I can fix it!” My painful lesson learned: Do not invest yourself and your team in people who don’t want to learn and improve.
46. Fact: work produces more work vibe #
47. 1. Celebrate milestones 2. Show gratitude for effort 3. Create a tradition for small wins 
48. Measure your own journey as a leader (self-management) Little things you can do to inspire your team Avoid the local maxima trap
49. • There is no way to get radically better other than pushing yourself out of your comfort zone. • Read and follow companies and individuals who drive you crazy with passion and admiration.
53. photo credit JD Hancock