Being a leader even if you don’t have a leadership role – take a leadership attitude

Do you need to have a leadership role to be a leader?

“A boss has the title, the leader has the people.”—Simon Sinek

One criterion for technical professionals to be considered for advancement is leadership. You may that leadership does not relate to technical careers, but you would be wrong. You are a leader. Even if you don’t have the official title of manager or team lead, you are a leader. You are the leader of your own career journey. In his bestselling leadership book The First 90 Days, Michael D. Watkins talks about the importance of your responsibility to manage yourself. Part of this responsibility is your relationship with your manager. If you want to progress toward senior levels of your technical career, you will need to be perceived as a leader. Senior developers may not have a team lead designation, but they are often expected to be a leader...