Growing into Leadership in Software Testing
It bugs me when people say “leader” when they mean “manager.” Of course, some managers, by title or position, are leaders, and good leaders at that. And some leaders are not managers at all. By conflating manager and leader, however, people diminish the value of both words and both roles.
When considering leadership in testing, I look at this in two parts.
First, I see a leader as someone who inspires people to become better. A good leader can help us move toward what we want to become even when we are not sure what that is.
Second, consider Jerry Weinberg’s definition of a tester: “someone who knows things can be different.” When it comes to leadership, I find this often implies things can be better. So, how do you make things better? This is the type of leadership I am interested in and want to foster.
One thing I learned early on is to see if your actions and your words line up. In other words, before leading others, try leading yourself. Don’t do typical “leader” stuff if you want to be the kind of leader I'm describing. Instead, look at what you do as a professional. How polished are your technical skills? How polished are your communication and interpersonal skills? What do you do to make yourself better?
Do you search out and read articles and magazines beyond whatever gets circulated to you in the office? Do you look for learning opportunities you can take up on your own without waiting for permission from your manager? Have you taken any courses on your own time, maybe at your own expense?
Many companies have professional development programs, and these are a decent place to start. You may get some ideas from them, and that is fantastic. Still, I wonder if people remember that companies give you training because it will benefit them—not for your career development.
The next thing to consider is how you share what you have learned with others. In many communities, part of learning is sharing what you have learned. This does two things. It imparts your recently learned lessons on others, and, hopefully, inspires them to learn more as well. It also helps reinforce your lessons by considering them from a different perspective. You must learn the new skills well enough to understand how to explain them to others.
The challenge is to find the venue to share this knowledge. Sometimes help that is not asked for is an imposition and not assistance. Recognizing when to offer help is another skill to learn.
As you learn these things, don’t be surprised when people come to you asking questions or looking for guidance. When they do, congratulations. This is often the first step of being recognized as someone who can help and inspire others. You are becoming a leader.
Peter Walen is presenting the session Growing into Leadership at STARWEST, from October 12–17, 2014.
