Leadership is as simple as filling in the blanks
By Rajesh Setty on Wed 16 Feb 2005, 10:48 PM – 1 Comment
There is enough literature that is out there that says that leadership is not tied to the position. However, there is not much written about how a person who is not in a “sort of” leadership position able to lead.
I believe that leadership is as simple as filling in the blanks. Any organization or for that matter any project has places and situations screaming for someone’s attention. These are the blanks that someone needs to fill. If we are willing to take up that initiative and fill in those blanks, we are on our way to become leaders.
A crisis or a breakdown are perfect examples of blanks waiting for someone. Most often our approach is to blame someone when there is a crisis or breakdown. Wouldn’t it be great if we embrace those situations and use them as launch pads to demonstrate our leadership skills?
Posted in the Leadership, Main Page category.
Leaving a lasting impression
By Rajesh Setty on Wed 16 Feb 2005, 7:08 AM – Leave Comment
If I ask you to name a few of your teachers from your college,
most often you will tell me your favorite teachers. The ones that made
a lasting impression on you.
Professional services is the same. If you are in the PS business, you
should ask yourself “With how many clients have I made a lasting
impression?”. If someone asks your client to name a few of the best
consultants they worked with, would your name pop up? Wouldn’t it be
great if it did?
If you agree then start thinking about what you are doing in your current project to leave a lasting impression!
Posted in the Main Page category.
The cure for commoditization
By Rajesh Setty on Mon 14 Feb 2005, 11:49 PM – Leave Comment
Software projects tend to be a few days late and a few thousand dollars
over budget. So, for technology professionals, “walking the extra mile”
is almost a common practice.
Apart from the standard project pressures, these technology
professionals have a daunting task of avoiding commoditizing
themselves. The technology that’s hot today may be a commodity
tomorrow. Should a technology professional focus on a particular
technology at all? The answer is not a simple “Yes” or a “No”.
Here are some simple practices to avoid commoditization
1. Solve the right problem:
Many smart customers may diagnose the problem and ask you to solve it.
If the diagnosis is wrong, the project fails even if you solve the
problem you were requested to solve.
2. Care as if it’s your own:
Treat the project as if it was your own project. If you care and take
care, clients will know and will want you back on their teams
3. Have a great attitude: Technical skills are necessary but not enough to differentiate yourself. It’s your attitide that counts
4. Set the right expectations: Many
times customers don’t care if the project is delayed but they don’t
like negative surprises. Set the right expectations from the start and
throughout the project. A positive surprise is welcome but not
otherwise.
5. Enhance clarity in your communication:
Most projects fail because what you meant was different from what you
said and what the client heard was different from what was interpreted
and so on. Communicating with clarity will play a major role in making
the project successful.
Posted in the Main Page category.
Welcome to Life Beyond Code
By Rajesh Setty on Mon 14 Feb 2005, 11:21 AM – Leave Comment
Most white collar workers will relate to this – the constant dilemma
between delivery (flawlessly executing on current projects) and the
preparation (building more capacity to deliver projects). Some of us
have tried to get out of this dilemma and in the process lost sight of
some of the other things that we should have focused on such as
building long term relationships.
This blog is a companion website to my upcoming book on the same topic called “Beyond Code”.
More soon..
Posted in the Main Page category.