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The Difference between Managers and Leaders You often hear managers referred to as leaders, but the two terms are not synonymous. Managers can be leaders, but not always, and there are people who don’t have formal management positions who are leaders. Understanding the difference can help people in both roles—and their team members—be more effective. |
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Do Software Teams Need Managers with Technical Expertise? Soft skills matter in how effective a manager is, but what about technical skills? If you're a software engineer, how important is it to you for your manager to have the same background and to fully understand your job? Ideally they would, but in some cases, that role can be better filled by a technical lead. |
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What’s in the Spring 2017 Issue of Better Software Magazine This is the second issue of Better Software magazine for 2017, and it has the largest page count of the last few years. With close to one hundred thousand subscribers worldwide, Better Software is fulfilling a real need in the software development community. As always, this issue has some thought-provoking articles. |
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Managing Resistance to Organizational Change Change can be difficult, and some people's reaction is to shut it all down. If they think their concerns aren’t being heard, they get defensive, and your project is on a trajectory for disaster. Don't fire off an email while tempers are running high. Managing expectations thoughtfully is essential to project success. |
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An Agile Mindset: Learning Early, Not Failing Fast Agile encourages teams to continuously improve through learning. One of the phrases associated with this process is "failing fast"—trying new things and taking lessons from mistakes as you go. But Johanna Rothman thinks "learning early" is a better phrase. That change in terminology can give you a happier mindset. |
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Don’t Abolish Hierarchies—Change Them Hierarchies often get a bad rap, and that’s understandable. Bad hierarchies can increase bureaucracy and get in the way of getting work done. But when done correctly, good hierarchies can streamline processes and provide organizations with some much-needed structure. You just need to rethink how hierarchies can work. |
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What to Do if You’re Promoted over Your Coworkers Getting promoted is great, but when it means you'll have to manage your former coworkers, it can get awkward. It would be ideal if you could maintain the friendly, gossipy, tell-all relationship you’ve had with your ex-peers, but as a practical matter, you can’t. Here's how to handle the transition best for everyone. |
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The Difference between Directing and Leading Being a leader of a software team comes with a lot of responsibility. You may be used to people looking to you for direction. But directing doesn't let your team truly use the skills and talents they were hired for. A good leader knows that sometimes, the best strategy is to step aside and let the team shine. |
