Building a Leadership Development Program, step-by-step
Tags: engineering, leadership, lean
Published: 2023-11-01 14:28:53

Transforming an engineering organization starts with changing hearts and minds which sounds really simple...it's not. 

While it'd be great to simply reveal a treasure map and proceed methodically to the treasure, the truth is that people don't invest themselves in maps all that well and the map is different for every organization.

To get to the treasure, we must take the journey together and define the path as we go, one step at a time...1% better every day. 

**So without a map, where do we start?**

Here is what's worked for me as a foundational program that provides a shared vocabulary, leads us to discover trends in the industry, and is an easy vehicle to discuss what we believe collectively.

## Getting started…

If you’re starting a new program from scratch, start with a single group (aka cohort)…maybe your leadership team to get a feel for the program.

### Start with “why?” 

Here’s an example of my why’s:

- We have a deep desire to learn and grow as an organization
- We have varying levels of knowledge and often misunderstand each other based on vocabulary
- Everyone agrees we need to move faster with less friction but we also want to be safe and raise the bar on quality

Grounding ourselves in a common vocabulary and discovering best practices in our industry so that we can discuss and decide what we value together will help us achieve our goals.

We start the group with two books, Accelerate and Implementing Lean Software Development. See the syllabus below for an exact template schedule.

## Week to week…

> 📖 Every week, we read a set of assigned chapters, typically < 30 pages. 

> 💬 We meet on the same day and time each week to discuss what we read, how it applies to us (or doesn’t) and what it would take to apply what we liked.

Although the discussion is based on what we read that week, the secret sauce is that we dynamically decide the specific topics and how long to spend on them using a format modeled on Lean Coffee. Here’s how:

1. **Brainstorm Topics** - We start the meeting with a 3 minute brainstorm. Each person puts sticky notes on the board with proposed topics that were interesting to them from the book.
2. **Group Topics** - We spend a minute reading the sticky notes and grouping like things together.
3. **Vote!** We spend another minute voting on the topics that interest us. Each person gets three votes.
4. **Start talking** - Set a timer for 8 minutes and start discussing the highest voted topic. 
5. **Check-in** After 8 minutes, we do a thumbs up, neutral, or thumbs down visual vote to decide if we should keep talking about that topic or move on to the next. 

> 👍 If we’re mostly thumbs up, we’ll put 4 minutes on the timer and keep going. 

> 👎 If we’re mostly thumbs down, we’ll put 8 minutes on the timer again and start the next topic

> _If everyone is neutral, then no one cares enough to keep discussing and we move on to the next topic_

We spend the hour working our way through the prioritized topic discussions, capturing epiphanies and action items on separate stickies. Don’t worry if you don’t get through everything, much like in our work we must prioritize. At the end of the hour, we summarize and assign any actions that came out.

### 👩‍💻 What about remote teams?

All of my teams are remote so I feel you. My favorite tool for this is [Figjam](https://www.figma.com/figjam/) but [Miro](https://miro.com) is nearly as good. Everyone connects to a virtual board and puts stickies on the board. The software includes a timer and even voting tools that are easy to use and visual for everyone. Figjam is one of the best tools available for getting remote team member to actively participate in discussions, brainstorming, etc.

## Now what?

Ok. We started our leadership group, read the first two books and we’re on board with one another with organizational change. Let’s get started with implementing. 

Hold on! Cultural and organizational change requires doing things together, not dictating from above. The next step here is to begin to expand the program. 

We have two options:

1. Each leader replicates the program in their own domain. Note that each group is free to discuss the topics from the two books that interest them most and they can come to their own conclusions. (You’d be amazed at how often the conclusions are similar, if not the same).
2. Begin forming blended, cross-domain cohorts where there’s a person or two from each leader’s domain. This promotes breaking down silos, creating new relationships and forming holistic organizational values.

Either way, start slow…don’t feel like 100% of the org needs to be in day one. You can grow the program over time, starting new cohorts every quarter.

## What do we do at the end of the two books? Is that it?

Nope, after a cohort completes the first two books, they choose their own adventure, voting on what book should be next. We provide a list of known good books for them to choose from or they can insert their own. 

By each group choosing its own books after the first two, we keep it fresh and continually insert fresh ideas. We also try to keep like roles together, e.g. managers in one cohort and individual contributors in another. The managers might choose a leadership book like Radical Candor while the IC group might choose something like Domain Driven Design for their next book.

## Our Syllabus

Here's a template for our first two books and the cadence with which we read them:

### Book 1 - Accelerate

![Accelerate Book Cover](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/gq2uf02afjlah0gyl05q.jpg) 

Accelerate: The Science of Lean Software and DevOps: Building and Scaling High Performing Technology Organizations

by Nicole Forsgren PhD, Jez Humble, Gene Kim

> "We strongly recommend this book to anyone involved in a digital transformation for solid guidance about what works, what doesn't work, and what doesn't matter."
-_Tom and Mary Poppendieck, authors of the Lean Software Development Series_

[Paperback](https://www.amazon.com/Accelerate-Software-Performing-Technology-Organizations/dp/1942788339) | [Kindle](https://www.amazon.com/Accelerate-Software-Performing-Technology-Organizations-ebook/dp/B07B9F83WM/) | [Audible](https://www.amazon.com/Accelerate-Building-Performing-Technology-Organizations/dp/B07BMBYHXL)

#### Week 1 - Measuring Unit (50 pages)

- Preface
- Ch 1 - Accelerate
- Ch 2 - Measuring Performance
- Ch 3 - Measuring  & Changing Culture

#### Week 2 - Technical Unit (32 pages)

- Ch 4 - Technical Practices
- Ch 5 - Architecture
- Ch 6 - Integrating Infosec Into the Delivery Cycle

#### Week 3 - Lean Software Process (27 pages)

- Ch 7 - Management Practices for Software
- Ch 8 - Product Development
- Ch 9 - Making Work Sustainable

#### Week 4 - Leadership (28 pages)

- Ch 10 - Employee Satisfaction, Identity, and Engagement
- Ch 11 - Leaders and Managers

### Book 2 - Implementing Lean Software Development

![Implementing Lean Software Development Book Cover](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/74yphcj5mwa2l0i2cx6l.jpeg)

Implementing Lean Software Development: From Concept to Cash

by Mary and Tom Poppendieck

> "This remarkable book combines practical advice, ready-to-use techniques, anda deep understanding of why this is the right way to develop software. I haveseen software teams transformed by the ideas in this book."
- _Mike Cohn, author of Agile Estimating and Planning_

[Paperback](https://a.co/d/3WiT6S2)

#### Week 5 - History & Principles (42 pages)

- Ch 1 - History
- Ch 2 - Principles

#### Week 6 - Value (22 pages)

- Ch 3 - Value

#### Week 7 - Waste (28 pages)

- Ch 4 - Waste

#### Week 8 - Speed (22 pages)

- Ch 5 - Speed

#### Week 10 - People (32 pages)

- Ch 6 - People

#### Week 11 - Knowledge (28 pages)

- Ch 7 - Knowledge

#### Week 12 - Quality (30 pages)

- Ch 8 - Quality

#### Week 13 - Journey (24 pages)

- (Skip Ch 9 - Partners - outdated)
- Ch 10 - Journey

## Frequently Asked Questions

### How much time will this take?

Most people read about 30 pages / hour for non-fiction so I would recommend budgeting 90 minutes for most weeks to include note-taking, re-reading, etc. + 60 minutes for the meeting.

### How should I prioritize this?

Simple answer: Unless the house is burning down, you should be there. :wink: 

The participants of your group are a cohort that depend on each other and, therefore, this should be prioritized above most other things. If there is a meeting that needs someone from your team (most often you), it’s a good time to delegate to a team member and follow up after.

### Does this end after this book?

Nope. This is an ongoing series. After the first few books of the curriculum that we use as foundational, we’ll select books as a group to continue our development together.

### Am I required to read on my own time?

Nope. This is part of your professional development here so please create an appointment on your calendar for reading time. (Some people do the audiobook or read while at the gym so there’s nothing forbidding you from reading outside of work hours of course). 

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<aside>🙌 I'd be remiss if I didn't give a shout out to [Braedon McCoy](https://www.linkedin.com/in/braedonmccoy/) and [Bill Kinnard](https://www.linkedin.com/in/bill-kinnard-98545396/). They started a program, Leadership Development Kit, within Asurion upon which this program builds. Using book readings to start discussions is a core part of the program.

I'd run technical book clubs for years but their approach to targeted learning and discussion was instrumental to LDP.

Key aspects that I've added include:

- Prescribing only the first two books and letting the group choose their own adventure for future books
- Running the meeting in a Lean Coffee format so that the group is engaged in discussion more than reviewing text
</aside>
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