Being a leader is a lot different than being a manager. A manager is an operator, they follow processes and are expected to produce the desired output.
A leader is not necessarily a manager. Individual contributors can be great leaders. Leaders are people who have strong values, exemplify those values, attract a following or inspire others to do the same. People work for a manager because they are expected to. People follow a leader because they want to.
Leaders are inspirational people, have a vision, the will and ability to make it happen. Of course, they can’t do it alone. In a casual conversation, Mike
We live in an inter-subjective world. Values are what we as individuals deem to be valuable. As a leader, we create a narrative around why we value a way of doing things, why something is worth doing, and communicating potential benefits in the far-off distance. We don’t have all the solutions. As a leader, we want others to be inspired by our vision, follow us and come up with solutions that aid in achieving our vision.
As a technical leader, we live in a world where there’s endless chaos, no matter where we look there’s the opportunity for things to be better. The most important aspect of being a strong leader is to acknowledge this chaos, embrace it and provide a vision and plan for how to achieve the end-goal. I remember a quote from Bruce Lee, “A goal is not always meant to be reached, it often serves simply as something to aim at.”