Leading change as an individual contributor
When we think about leadership, we usually picture someone who has ultimate authority or holds complete control and decision-making power over a group or organisation.
If this is our ideal of leadership, we probably won't think of anyone without a formal leadership job title as a leader or as someone who can drive change in their team or organisation. I believe this is a misguided notion, especially if you work in software development.
Therefore, in this talk, I will draw on my experience and insights from the leadership literature to demonstrate that to lead, or drive change, you do not necessarily need to have a formal leadership title.
To do this, I take a glimpse into the past, to show how individual contributors can make a lasting impact by combining vision, expertise, a collaboration mindset, and taking action to lead even without a formal leadership title.
I will also present a practical model individuals can utilise when needing to lead change initiatives as an individual contributor.