Learning how to lead: strategies to grow your technical leadership

1. Learning how to lead: strategies to grow your technical leadership Deb Agarwal A.J. Brush

2. A.J. Brush Human-computer interaction with focus on technologies for homes and families built using sensing, inference, and prediction.

3. A.J. Recent Leadership Positions • Project Leadership examples • MSR Menlo project HCI lead • MSR HomeOS project HCI lead • Technical Conference/Society • Pervasive Program Committee Chair 2009, Pervasive Steering Committee ongoing • SIGCHI VP of Membership (2006- 2009) • Organization of several workshops • Diversity Leadership • MSR Women’s group • CRA-W board

4. Deb Agarwal • Create software and tools to enable scientists to address complex and large-scale computing and data analysis problems • Project PI for ~15 years • Example science areas • Understanding California watershed dynamics • Global FLUXNET Carbon flux network • Environmental management data management for an advanced simulation environment • Carbon capture capabilities for coal plants • Knowledge discovery workflow tools

5. Deb Leadership Positions • PhD student • Collaborating with fellow students • Cost-Free Expert to Comprehensive Test-Ban Treaty Organization • Staff Scientist • Leading a single project • Group Lead • 5-6 people • Small set of projects – collaborative tools • Department Head • 22 people • Wide diversity of projects – cybersecurity research to environmental science • Senior Staff Scientist

6. What is a LEADER?

7. Leadership Roles • Technical Leader • Direct technical vision for project • Form collaboration/partnership • Arbitrate technical differences • Lead exploratory projects • Evaluate riskiness vs. milestone decisions • Small projects with teams of less than 10 people • Large multi-organization projects with teams of more than 50 people • Manager • Focus on project management / people management (from a few people to over a hundred people) • Hiring/career building

8. Leader/Technical Leader's Job • Takeresponsibilityfor a project • Organize and empowerpeopleto getthe projectdone • Keep/getproject on track • Keepprojectfunded • Championproject and the teamworking on it • Represent/defendproject • Becomerecognized as an expert inside and outside yourorganization • Providewisdom to guideyourorganization'sactions • Communication, communication, communication! • People skills are very important

9. Understand Your Organization • Know how to get resources you need • Understand the political realities of your organization • Within your organization - management priorities, organizational priorities, external pressures, … • How funding works – when and how to get it and how to keep it • Recognition opportunities and appropriate timing of recognition for project and personnel • Know the critical organizational project milestones/expectations

10. Understanding your organization's leadership opportunities/ladder • Find out what your organization rewards • Ask your manager, peers, senior leaders • See what matters on performance reviews • Identify role models and talk to them • Technical leadersareoftennotobvious • Examples • Submit proposals/lead projects • Help write vision statements • Service externally

11. What leadership is NOT • Doing all the work yourself • You don't scale • Telling people what to do • Working with researchers is like herding cats • Making all the decisions yourself • You don't have all the information • Youdon’tneed to be the smartest person in the room • Assigning blame when things go wrong • No one will want to work with you

12. Qualities of A LEADER

13. Leadership Qualities-1 • Energetic and passionate • Able to motivate self and others • Passionate about what you are doing • Passionate about the impact of your work • Solid technical background and proven track record • Accomplished ideas • Good reputation – able to engage people, especially those with funding • Project management – able to assess solutions • Good business sense • Aware of the competitive business environment • Able to align research with business goals and strategies

14. Leadership Qualities-2 • Strong communication skills • Able to sell ideas • Able to align/realign team • Able to sell results and solutions • Strong people skills • Can motivate and engage team members • Can effectively resolve conflicts • Can navigate and manage company politics • Strong network (connections) • Knows how to get things done inside the company • Can find proper support, resources, and contacts • Authentic, with High Integrity • Earns respect, establishes trust, maintains humility

15. Leadership Qualities-3 • Takes ownership and holds self accountable • Organizes and empowers team • Obtains sufficient resources • Establishes reasonable milestones • Is a recognized expert inside and outside the organization • Is sought out by management • Provides a steady hand in tough times • Provides wisdom to guide actions of the organization • Maintains relationships • Manages down as well as up • Communicates in a timely and sensitive manner

16. Able to Build Collaboration Within the Team • Create a shared vision • Create a long-term plan with short-term deliverables to divide research • Establish clear roles and responsibilities • Discuss preferred work styles • Establish effective & regular communication • Build a research team with a group identity • Establish a process to get work done • Clarify upfront how the “rewards” will be shared • Understand what others want from the project – win/win

17. Building the Team • Empowering people to take a role that fits them • Team lead on a sub-project • Technical expert on a topic • Trouble-shooter • Let key people know they are important • Helping people to recognize when their talents are a better fit elsewhere • Identify their talents and passion • Work with them to identify a role that fits for them (inside or outside the organization)

18. Becoming A LEADER

19. How to act like a leader • Build your brand • What do you want to be known for? • Deliver on yourpromises • Startleading from the bottom up • You don't have to be project lead to exert leadership over a team • If you have an idea, take ownership and do it (after appropriate checks) • E.g. A.J. started the women’s group, intern lunch series, got projects started

20. Steps to Get from Here to There • Find good leaders to work for and with • Offer to take ownership on part of a project • Learnto leadwithoutpower • Most of yourteamswillnotreport to you • Removes the messyevaluationpart of the relationship • Help others on your teams to succeed – enabling the team rather than just yourself • Be visible (not loudest) • Be passionate not dogmatic

21. Build a Team and Collaboration to Work With • Pay attention to what the other researchers around you are doing and who is doing good work (internal and external) • Help others to solve their problems • Find things that you are passionate about • Sharethe credit, takethe responsibility • Recognizeeveryone'scontributions • Be humble! • Collect the people who add value to the collaboration/team

22. Leading Through Crisis • Do your homework • Study the problem • Understand the options • Recruit upper level management to help deal with crisis • Bridge funding • Opens up lateral opportunities • Be honest and up-front with the team • Before the rumor mill gets out of control • Lay out a plan for the future • Recruit their help (get them involved where possible) • Once its handled take some time for yourself!

23. Leader Examples • A.J. • Menlo project leader • My boss • Deb • My boss at GM • My first two bosses at LBNL • Leading through crisis • Current collaborator

24. Leadership Disaster Stories • AJ • Dysfunctional work group/destructive criticism • Summer Internship example • Deb • Comprehensive Test-Ban Treaty • Cybersecurity for Open Science

25. Leadership Challenges Deb • Taking the time to do it well • Empowering people on the team who are remote • Asking for help • Imposter syndrome • Networking • Growing my replacement • Listening with an open mind

26. Leadership Challenges AJ • Balancing moving the group forward and being “bossy” • Growing replacements and knowing when to let go • Changing styles to match needs of different team members • Giving constructive criticism/being the “bad guy”

27. Final Thoughts • Good leadership is a collaboration not a dictatorship • Look for the win/win for everyone • Make the hard decisions • Be honest – admit when you don’t know • Always support the team externally • Take responsibility for issues • Share credit broadly

28. Thanks! • Tessa Lau, 2009 CRA-W leadership panel • Patty Lopez, CAHSI 2010 presentation

29. Recommended reading • How To Be a Star at Work: 9 BreakthroughStrategiesYouNeed to Succeed, Robert Kelley, 1998