The Geek Leader's Handbook Quotes

“To give an estimate is to say something you don’t know absolutely to be true, and therefore it is to tell a lie, something geeks find deeply painful.”
― Paul Glen, The Geek Leader's Handbook: Essential Leadership Insight for People with Technical Backgrounds

“The old saying that “reason makes people think and emotion makes people act” isn’t quite right for geeks. It would be more accurate to say that reason makes us think and emotion makes us suspicious.”
― Paul Glen, The Geek Leader's Handbook: Essential Leadership Insight for People with Technical Backgrounds

“Here are some indicators of successful management: Things get done well. Problems are not big surprises. Issues get resolved. Progress continues even when managers aren’t there. People are engaged with their work and each other. Conflict is productive rather than territorial. New ideas emerge spontaneously from a variety of people.”
― Paul Glen, The Geek Leader's Handbook: Essential Leadership Insight for People with Technical Backgrounds

“To technical people, these seem like minor oversights that take only a minute to fix. “Oops. I forgot to change the server name to the production server.” Or, “Oh, the new screens are there. I just forgot to link the button.” But to users who are already feeling a bit skittish about trying out the new technology, these first impressions are a big deal. To you, these events probably seem inconsequential, carrying no inherent meaning, but to them it sets off major alarm bells. It signals things like, “This technology must be a sloppy piece of crap,” and, “These IT people must be completely incompetent,” and, “They must think I’m not important enough for them to check their work.”
― Paul Glen, The Geek Leader's Handbook: Essential Leadership Insight for People with Technical Backgrounds