Leading Geeks: How to Manage and Lead People Who Deliver Technology

Paul Glen

Wednesday, September 10, 2008

92% of Technology Professionals Work for Traditional Companies

Today every manager must learn to lead geeks. Dot.com or dot.bomb, it doesn't matter. Geeks deliver and support the technology that drives efficiency, effectiveness, and competitiveness of real businesses. In fact, companies have become so dependent on geeks that 92% of technology professionals work for traditional, non-technical corporations and only 8% work in high-tech firms. Yet, most managers and executives find that geeks are difficult to fathom and even harder to lead.

This Entertaining, High-Content Keynote Will Show You...

• Why Traditional Approaches to Leadership Don't Work With Geeks
• How Geeks are Different from Other Employees
• How Leading Geeks Differs from Leading Other Employees
• How to Motivate Geeks
• Immediately Applicable Approaches to Geek Leadership

Paul Glen is an award-winning author, management columnist and a professional speaker. He is the author of "Leading Geeks: How to Lead and Manage People Who Deliver Technology" (Jossey-Bass Pfeiffer, 2003, Warren Bennis Signature Series) and "Healing Client Relationships: A Professional's Guide to Managing Client Conflict" (Professional Service Publishing, 2001). He is also writes a two columns a month for Computerworld USA which are frequently syndicated around the globe. In 1999, he founded C2 Consulting to help technology organizations grow better leaders and help technical managers perform at their best. He is also the director of the Developing Technical Leaders program.

Mr. Glen has more than a dozen years experience delivering and managing IT related products and services. Mr. Glen has served in many roles including: project manager, product manager, account manager, and programmer. He has been involved in dozens of software development and deployment projects. He has led two startup product teams, launching both hardware and software products to the quick service restaurant industry. Mr. Glen has taught as a part-time faculty member in the MBA programs at the University of Southern California and Loyola Marymount University. AT USC he developed and taught an e-Business Strategy course. At Loyola he taught a second year MBA course that he authored entitled "Marketing of High Technology Products and Services."