Becoming a Leader in Product Development

Chapter 1 - Why Leaders (31 pages)o This chapter explains the core concept of leadership. It begins by describing leadership both as a social process between a group of people and a system consisting of the leader(s), followers, and context. The chapter also explains that leadership only occurs with shared direction, alignment, and commitment among a group. While leadership, an emergent property, does not depend solely on what the leader does, the leader(s) still has a large responsibility for leadership to occur. The chapter explains the foundational concepts used throughout the book, like authority, power, and influence. It further demonstrates the relationships between these leadership aspects. Last, the chapter uncovers the difference between bad leadership and management and argues that effective organizational leadership depends on effective management.o 1.1. What is Leadership 1.1.1. Determining Where are We Going 1.1.2. Working Together 1.1.3. Being There for Each Othero 1.2. Leadership as a System 1.2.1. Understanding the Context 1.2.2. Leaders and Followers 1.2.3. The Role of Leaderso 1.3. The Authority, Power, and Influence Cocktail 1.3.1. Formal Authority 1.3.2. Informal Authority 1.3.3. Power 1.3.4. Influence 1.3.5. Authority, Power, and Influence Combinedo 1.4. Bad Leadership and Management 1.4.1. Bad Leadership 1.4.2. Management Differs from Leadershipo 1.5. Software Development Leadershipo 1.6. Chapter 1 Takeaways- 2. Chapter 2 - The Agile Game (19 pages)- Agile Software Development is the most common form of software development that many software development organizations attempt to practice. Many software development leaders will need to lead in an Agile context. This chapter gives a brief overview of Agile software development and how it differs from traditional software development methods. The chapter presents Agile as more than just a software development method by illustrating how Agile Software Development has cultural levels with tacit assumptions, values, and artifacts. The Agile culture also differs from traditional software cultures, which leaders need to remain aware of. The chapter also goes over the limitations and criticisms of Agile and recommends that leaders leverage the Agile approach to achieve organizational objectives.o 2.1. What is Agile 2.1.1. Brief Review of the History of Agile 2.1.2. Agile as a Software Development Cultureo 2.2. Criticisms and Limitations of Agile 2.2.1. Limitations 2.2.2. Challengeso 2.3. Leading Agile Software Development Teamso 2.4. Closing Thoughtso 2.5. Chapter 2 Takeaways- 3. Chapter 3 - Making Sense of National Culture (28 pages)- This chapter explores the impact of national culture on leadership practice using Hofstede's and GLOBE's national culture dimensions on leadership within groups. In further chapters, the book recommends specific leadership theories and practices. However, these leadership theories will need to take into consideration the leadership expectations of their teams. For example, teams in Nigeria will have different expectations from teams in the United States. Understanding these cultural dimensions helps leaders adopt and adapt leadership practices to fit the national context where they might find themselves. Twenty-first-century software development leaders need to deal with the reality that they have teams composed of people from different countries with d
About the Author:

Dr. Ebenezer C. Ikonne is a practitioner-academic (pracademic) with over 20 years in product development. He is currently a Product and Engineering leader at Cox Automotive. Ebenezer started his technology career as a network engineer and software developer. He later transitioned into product development leadership and management and has held middle to senior-level leadership and management positions in large organizations, small corporations, and startups.

Ebenezer has extensive experience leading organizational change and understands the complex challenges leaders face in demanding product development contexts. His experience, coupled with his education, provides him with a unique perspective on how 21st-century product development leaders can become more effective.