growing into leadership

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Personal Excellence

10/15/2014 11:30:00 AM

Growing into Leadership

Presented by:

Peter Walen

Gordon Food Service

Brought to you by:

340 Corporate Way, Suite 300, Orange Park, FL 32073 888-268-8770 ∙ 904-278-0524 ∙ sqeinfo@sqe.com ∙ www.sqe.com

Peter Walen

Gordon Food Service Pete Walen has been involved in software development for more than twenty-five years. Today, Pete is a Senior Software tester with Gordon Food Service in Grand Rapids, Michigan, working with the company’s quality groups and test teams to help them with testing and coaching them to improve their testing techniques and practices. He describes himself as a Software Anthropologist and Tester, examining how software and people relate and react to each other. Pete is a signer of the Agile Manifesto, a member of the American Society for Quality and The Association for Software Testing, and an active blogger on software testing at rhythmoftesting.blogspot.com. Follow Pete on Twitter @PeteWalen.

Growing Into Leadership

Pete Walen

Leadership

Management

What is it?

1. The action of leading a group of people or an organization

2. The state or position of being a leader

Technical Leaders May Not…

be “official” leaders

want to be “official” leaders

A Tester is someone who knows that things can be

Different --- Gerald M. Weinberg

Change won’t happen unless you are willing to

dare greatly

Feeling like you don’t fit in?

Looking for something even if you don’t know what that is?

Maybe it is because you know things can be different?

Formal training is only a START

Allow yourself to be curious then -

Follow your curiosity

I wonder what happens if…

You are responsible for your own training and craftsmanship.

Sources of Information and Ideas!

Web Forums

Blogs

Conferences

Books

Magazines

Print and e-zines!

Focus on learning your trade and craft

Seek out ideas new to you even if you aren’t sure how they

might apply right now

Who can help?

Writers Speakers

Co-workers Friends

Ask them to help you on your journey

Those helpers can become for you, mentors

Let them help illuminate your way…

Take the ideas and techniques you have read about and been curious about and TRY them!

“Nothing teaches like a burned hand.”

RUBBISH!

“Nothing teaches like doing the impossible.”

It takes courage to stretch and experiment –

Read about something that might help your project?

TRY IT!

The results can be Astounding!

What if your results are “less than optimal” the first time you try something?

Don’t let that stop you!

People you can be yourself with.

People you can bounce ideas against.

People you can confide in.

People you can trust.

You don’t need to be the smartest person or the one with all the

answers

By being yourself, and with patience, your network will grow.

Your Network may be able to help you find what you are really good at.

This may be something you like doing.

This may be discovered by doing something else.

The first time may be a little scary.

Keep Experimenting

Keep Learning!

Share what you have…

Learned

Discovered

Experienced

Share your…

Motivation

Organization

Ideas & Innovation

What about other people’s

Motivation

Organization

Ideas & Innovation

Share Your Time

Share Your Ideas

How?

Try Writing!

Team or Group Newsletters Blogs

Articles On-line & Print

But…

I’m not a writer!

Really? You don’t write anything?

EVER???

Share Your Ideas

How?

Try Speaking!

Lunch & Learns Local Tester Groups

Other Technology Groups Conferences

But…

I’m not a Speaker!

Really? You don’t speak with people?

EVER???

Each level of achievement opens more opportunities to

learn.

Each level of learning leads to new achievements.

Ask Yourself:

What do you hope to gain?

Do you want to be a leader?

What kind of leader do you want to be?

Weinberg, Gerald M. Becoming a Technical Leader: An Organic Problem-Solving

Approach. New York, Dorset House, 1986 http://www.amazon.com/Becoming-Technical-Leader-Problem-Solving-

Approach/dp/0932633021#_

Bolton, Michael. Building Your Testing Reputation. ST&QA Magazine, February,

2011. http://www.softwaretestpro.com/Item/5083/Building-Your-Testing-

Reputation/Testing

Weinberg, Gerald M. Weinberg on Writing: The Fieldstone Method. New York, Dorset

House, 2006 http://www.amazon.com/Weinberg-Writing-Fieldstone-Gerald-

M/dp/093263365X

Deming, W Edwards. Out of the Crisis. Cambridge, MA, MIT Press, 2000

http://www.amazon.com/Out-Crisis-W-Edwards-Deming/dp/0262541157

Company Email: Pete.Walen@gfs.com

Personal Email: PeterWalen@msn.com

Twitter: @PeteWalen

Phone: 616-304-1004

Blog: rhythmoftesting.blogspot.com