The Effective Executive, by Peter Drucker, outlines 4 challenges that effective executives have to overcome. Your time is not your own, drive an agenda to avoid busy work, align with organizational goals and customer requirements are usually mu

035 - Do the Right Things

Jan 6th, 2021 9m 3s

Doing the right things is an essential element of being an effective leader. The Effective Executive, by Peter Drucker, is a book written for listeners of the technical leadership podcast. "Knowledge Workers", as Peter Drucker says, need to do

034 - How to Say 'No' the Easy Way

Nov 30th, 2020 6m 10s

In this episode we wrap up our series on negotiation, as well as the first season of this podcast. We will continue with original content in January 2021.The easy way to say 'No' is by using non-confrontational 'what' or 'how' questions. There

033 - Don't Compromise

Nov 26th, 2020 6m 52s

We're often told to compromise with others to get things done. For an FBI hostage negotiator, there can be no compromise. In this episode we learn how tactical empathy can get results without compromise.This episode is part 4 of our negotiatin

032 - Sometimes Yes Means No

Nov 23rd, 2020 6m 58s

I'm agreeable by nature, and getting folks to tell me 'no' is uncomfortable. But it yields results. In this episode, we discuss the 3 flavors of 'yes', and how to make your counterpart feel in control by getting them to say 'no'.This episode

031 - Label the Pain

Nov 18th, 2020 8m 53s

Labeling negative emotions defuses them. This episodes is part 2 of our negotiating series, inspired by the book "Never Split the Difference" by Chris Voss.Labeling is an important tactical tool to remove obstacles. Often, its negative emotio

030 - Tactical Empathy

Nov 16th, 2020 9m 37s

Life is a negotiation. A successful leader needs excellent negotiation skills to help them and their teams succeed. This episode is the first of a 5 part series on negotiation. It is based on the book "Never Split the Difference" by Chris Voss

029 - Repairing Division

Nov 13th, 2020 5m 49s

A team that is divided, requires good leadership to repair. The first steps are to be curious about what is going on, listen to people's perspectives and ask questions. Don't push your agenda. First seek to understand.Listening and understand

028 - Slow Down

Nov 12th, 2020 4m 21s

Imitate the tortoise in Aesop's fable. If you're moving too fast, you'll be demotivated by challenges that seemingly take a long time to overcome. A slow and steady approach will help you to tackle challenges without a drastic drop in motivatio

027 - Whats the Difference?

Nov 11th, 2020 5m 30s

The saying goes that "the best time to plan a tree was 10 years ago. The second best time is today".Sometimes we don't start an activity because we feel that we should already have achieved the result. Our judgmental attitude to our starting p

Trailer

Welcome to Technical Leadership

Nov 10th, 2020 26s

Welcome to the technical leadership podcast. thank you for joining me on a journey, to discover and distil the technical skills that successful leaders have used to lead others forwards towards the future.In this podcast we search for practica

026 - Know Thyself

Nov 10th, 2020 5m 46s

Knowing yourself, your goals and desires, is the first step to taking a decision to lead yourself towards your goals. In this episode I discuss a turning point in my life, where I decided to pursue avenues to becoming a leader, rather than wait

025 - Facing Unreasonable Demands

Nov 8th, 2020 4m 53s

As a leader, you will receive reasonable and unreasonable requests. In this episode we discuss identifying and dealing with unreasonable requests by diving to the core of the challenge and asking the question "how am I supposed to do that"Joi

024 - Argh, Its Not Done

Nov 7th, 2020 6m 49s

This episode talks about the importance of defining and articulating the definition of done, to avoid surprises. You can use 2 communication tools: 1) Have the other person tell you the definition of done and 2) explain the test you will use to

023 - Uncommunicated Expectations

Nov 3rd, 2020 6m 34s

Uncommunicated expectations can lead to frustration. In this podcast, we consider 2 frustrating situations and how each requires a different approach to see it resolved.Join the conversation on twitter by using #TechnicalLeadership, or includ

022 - Use the Check Engine Light

Nov 2nd, 2020 4m 27s

Frustration can be an early warning indicator, like a check engine light. This part 1 (of 5) of this miniseries, we will talk briefly about frustration. Join the conversation on twitter by using #TechnicalLeadership, or including @techleadrshi

021 - Reporting up

Oct 30th, 2020 6m 5s

When reporting information to your leadership, you need to be precise, concise and give advise.Join the conversation on twitter by using #TechnicalLeadership, or including @techleadrship in your tweet.You can also practically support this po

020 - Be Decisive

Oct 29th, 2020 7m 49s

Decisiveness is a foundational trait of a good leader. In this episode, I talk about my first manager, who wasn't decisive. I mention 4 areas in business that require decisiveness: Work-life harmony, priorities, standards and feedback.Join th

019 - Start being a leader

Oct 28th, 2020 7m 20s

Where do you start when you want to be a leader?Start with taking responsibility for your own life, and lead yourself towards your goals. Then use those skills to start leading others. In this episode, I tell the anonymized story of Joe, who c

018 - Quality vs Deadlines

Oct 27th, 2020 7m 21s

There's a constant tension between delivery and quality. In this episode we discuss why deadlines and quality standard exist, and give you an understanding of how to use deadlines effectively, and when you should move a deadline for the sake of

017 - Gaining Influence as a newbie

Oct 26th, 2020 7m 55s

You just joined a new company or team. How can you gain influence in that team?This episode discusses 5 ways of fast-tracking your influence:- ask questions- accelerate ramping up- become an expert in an area- raise the standards, slow

016 - Listen

Oct 23rd, 2020 6m 10s

Learning to listen before speaking is an important leadership skill. Listening first will help build trust with your team, and enable your team to independently find creative solutions when you're not telling them what to do. Join the convers

015 - Cold Showers for the Win

Oct 22nd, 2020 6m 23s

In this episode I tell the story of how I used cold showers to practice facing my fears.Join the conversation on twitter by using #TechnicalLeadership, or including @techleadrship in your tweet.You can also practically support this podcast, b

014 - One On Ones

Oct 21st, 2020 7m 16s

One-on-ones are an important tool, especially when working from home. In this episode, we discuss the concept and some tactics to make one-on-ones more effective.Manager Tools Podcast: https://www.manager-tools.com/manager-tools-basics Join t

013 - Separate Work From Home

Oct 20th, 2020 5m 24s

When working from home, its important have a clear separation between work life and home life. In this episode we discuss some tips to make working from home that much easier.Join the conversation on twitter by using #TechnicalLeadership, or