Becoming a Leader in Product Development (eBook)

It is becoming increasingly challenging for product development leaders to effectively lead as workplace demands continue to increase. The rate of change in technology, society, and business places immense pressure on leaders to ensure their groups move in the direction of their goals. What might have worked in the past no longer works.

Organizational surveys show that firms struggle with leadership. Product development leaders routinely complain of burnout and stress while their teams members complain of workplace dissatisfaction, resulting in organizational underperformance.

The lack of evidence-based leadership literature for product development leaders means that many leaders are left to figure things out with little guidance. They do not have a reliable resource that they can refer to when they face leadership challenges and, as a result, struggle during times of crisis and change. This book addresses this challenge by providing a theory-informed set of techniques for product development leaders.

Becoming a Leader in Product Development provides an evidence-base set of practices for product development leaders. In doing so, it explores what leadership is and the leader's role in the leadership process, the impact of national culture and organizational culture on the leadership process, and the need for product development leaders to practice adaptive and servant leadership, followership, and self-care. The underlying theories for each topic are reviewed and then brought to life through stories and examples.

What You Will Learn

• See the difference between authority, persuasion, and influence and how leaders can use these constructs to benefit their organizations
• Gain the skills for practicing servant and adaptive leadership in your organization
• Examine the blind spots of each leadership theory
• Discover the importance of adapting leader behavior to the national culture and organizational culture where you find yourself 

Who This Book Is For

Product development leaders (starting with product development managers) who want to go beyond leadership anecdotes to evidence-based leadership practice. A secondary audience is individuals aspiring to product development leadership positions.

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.

Ebenezer is passionate about fostering a positive workplace where people thrive.  He regularly speaks on issues relating to leadership, product management, and software development. He publishes content both on LinkedIn and at eikonne.wordpress.com. He has also written for the Cutter Consortium. Ebenezer's aptly named YouTube channel 'Joy at Work' provides practical tips on how anyone can experience joy at work.

You can reach Ebenezer on LinkedIn ( http://linkedin.com/in/ebenezer-ikonne) and Twitter (@eikonne).

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It is becoming increasingly challenging for product development leaders to effectively lead as workplace demands continue to increase. The rate of change in technology, society, and business places immense pressure on leaders to ensure their groups move in the direction of their goals. What might have worked in the past no longer works.Organizational surveys show that firms struggle with leadership. Product development leaders routinely complain of burnout and stress while their teams members complain of workplace dissatisfaction, resulting in organizational underperformance.The lack of evidence-based leadership literature for product development leaders means that many leaders are left to figure things out with little guidance. They do not have a reliable resource that they can refer to when they face leadership challenges and, as a result, struggle during times of crisis and change. This book addresses this challenge by providing a theory-informed set of techniques for product development leaders. Becoming a Leader in Product Development provides an evidence-base set of practices for product development leaders. In doing so, it explores what leadership is and the leader's role in the leadership process, the impact of national culture and organizational culture on the leadership process, and the need for product development leaders to practice adaptive and servant leadership, followership, and self-care. The underlying theories for each topic are reviewed and then brought to life through stories and examples.What You Will LearnSee the difference between authority, persuasion, and influence and how leaders can use these constructs to benefit their organizationsGain the skills for practicing servant and adaptive leadership in your organizationExamine the blind spots of each leadership theoryDiscover the importance of adapting leader behavior to the national culture and organizational culture where you find yourself  Who This Book Is ForProduct development leaders (starting with product development managers) who want to go beyond leadership anecdotes to evidence-based leadership practice. A secondary audience is individuals aspiring to product development leadership positions.