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1-Page Summary of On the Edge
Overview
Leading a team of software developers is similar to climbing Mt. Everest, according to Alison Levine in her book On the Edge: The Art of High-Impact Leadership.
Many leadership principles that work in the world of high-impact adventures also apply to contemporary business environments. Both contexts require leaders to make critical decisions in imperfect situations. It is important for leaders to practice sleep deprivation and remain calm under pressure, as it will help them perform better when they are faced with crisis situations. Employees who have experience, expertise, and ego are preferable because they can handle the stress of their jobs well. Leaders should avoid complacency because it could lead to a fatal mistake that costs them everything.
Big Idea #1: Team leaders need to empower every member of the team.
When a team is facing an important challenge, the leader needs to be ready for it.
As a leader, you need to be at the top of your game. You need to perform better than others because people will expect more from you. To do that, leaders need to stay in shape both mentally and physically. This means training yourself for situations where you don’t get enough sleep and can’t rest. It’s important whether you’re leading an expedition or managing programmers in a company.
If you, as the leader, get stressed out about something minor like being tired, your employees will start to feel the same way. Therefore, it’s a good idea to sometimes practice experiencing stress so that when you’re actually feeling stressed at work or in life, it doesn’t affect you as much.
Good leaders should also inspire others to become better leaders. This means asking team members to take on more responsibilities, so they can learn how to lead themselves. When a leader does this effectively, it makes the team function better and prepares them for difficult situations where they might have to operate without their leader. Leadership is essential in any situation, so you should always continue developing your leadership skills.
Big Idea #2: Leaders should choose their team wisely, by looking for experience, expertise and a healthy ego.
When working in extreme environments, it’s important to understand how each member of the team can contribute to the success of a project. If someone starts causing problems within that team, there isn’t an employee handbook you can refer to for guidance on how to deal with them.
Therefore, leaders need to choose their team members wisely. Climbers literally put their lives in the hands of their partners on expeditions, where danger is a constant threat.
The most dangerous situations are uncontrollable. The team coordination problems can be deadly in such a situation.
In the business world, it’s crucial that you choose your team members well. Your success depends on how well they work together and perform as a unit.
When you’re looking for team members, find people who have experience and expertise. You don’t want to go on a mountain with someone who’s just easy-going. They need the right skills to be successful in that environment.
In addition, your team members should have a high performance ego. They need to be confident in their abilities so they’ll be ready for big challenges.
It’s also important that your team members are motivated to work together. They should be proud of being a part of the team, and they should want to take care of each other.
A strong team is made up of members who care about their teammates as much as themselves.
