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How Geek Leaders Lead

The techniques used by successful geek leaders "have already been provided in a number of chapters," and the author is highlighting and providing some examples and narratives here.

Harmonizing Content and Context

The ultimate goal of the geek leader in the business environment is to "harmonize" the content and context of the team he manages: to create a sense of order and consistency in the face of uncertainty and change as a method for getting workers who dwell in an intangible realm of concepts and theories to focus on concrete goals and real-world objectives.

Tools of Leadership: Narrative and Embodiment

Narrative is a key to communicating vision. The author divorces the term from its connotation as telling fictional stories, as it can be used to provide a nonfictional account as well.

As a tool, narrative transforms abstractions into concrete and understandable ideas, and isolates the "plot" from the distractions and random chaos of the real-world environment. The successful leader uses narrative to define the situation (where are we?) the players (who are we?) and the objective (what are we trying to do?).

Embodiment is drawing parallels between the narrative depiction and reality - helping others to see how things are actually working out.

Narrative and embodiment work together to provide motivation: as pieces of the narrative bear out in reality, you gain the acceptance of the narrative's likelihood, and the leader gains the confidence of those to whom he has "sold" the story.

If the leader can use narrative effectively, he takes on the mantle of a visionary and an oracle, archetypes that are revered by geeks, and people in general. If narrative does not bear out, it loses its value: it becomes a fiction story with no bearing in reality, and is quickly dismissed, and the leader loses credibility.

Of critical importance is the "defining narrative" - this narrative usually consists of the history of the organization, the state of the present, and a vision of the future. This forms the identity of a group, and supports whatever it may do. The example given is Steve Jobs' transformational vision for Apple, told when the company had grown listless and uncompetitive. His ability to sell his vision to his company and the market is one of the key methods he used to reinvigorate the company and become a legend in the industry.

Other narratives refer to, or derive from, the defining narrative: they are events within a greater saga, with a greater context, and draw upon the power of the defining narrative.

Building Trust, Respect, and Unity

Leaders who set out with the goal of building trust, respect, and unity seldom achieve it to the extent they desire - these are the products of effective leadership, and are not its objective, nor are they the means to achieve other objectives. However, once developed, trust, respect, and unity facilitate leadership in the future.

It is difficult to gain the respect of geeks, who subscribe to the archetype of the "pointy-haired boss" who demands obedience, but does not command (nor deserve) the respect his followers - and is instead an feckless and comical character. As a result, they are highly critical of leaders and tend to be very critical of them, and winning them over can be very difficult. It's a slow process, done over time.

Trust is not the same as respect: a geek may respect a leader's authority, but still distrust his motives. Trust is a more difficult thing to earn: it carries more of an emotional commitment, and geeks are far more reluctant. To trust a leader is to approve of the leader, and to stake your reputation on that assessment.

It is likewise difficult to develop a sense of unity among geeks. They are not "joiners" by nature and are likewise critical of team-building rituals. However, they will unite around common goals, and a common vision. Again, this happens over time, as bonds between antisocial individuals are very slow to form.

Trust, respect and unity are earned over time, by being an effective leader: by being honest, by keeping commitments, by giving geeks meaningful work, by helping them to achieve results.


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