Egoless Programming #7: The only true authority stems from knowledge, not from position.

In 2001, Lamont Adams of TechRepublic chiseled what would become ten commandments of Gerald M. Weinberg’s timeless wisdom: Egoless Programming. Today we’re going to learn it’s seventh commandment:

The only true authority stems from knowledge, not from position.

ATTENTION ARCHITECTS AND MANAGERS: today, I’m coming for you. These two titles at least putatively confer authority on their owners. Unfortunately, authority wielded without knowledge eventually damages a team’s morale, and by extension, its productivity.

If you’re in my crosshairs today, I have some questions for you:

Do you keep your coding knives sharpened?

You don’t have to code every day, but you should keep your skills fresh.

Pick up stories that are off the critical path. Practice daily code katas. Keep a side project going. If you want to lead engineers, you need to do what engineers do.

Have you felt your engineering team’s pain?

It’s hard to understand engineering pushback if you haven’t done the job.

Pair up with an engineer. Help them implement a basic feature. Help them walk that code from commit to production. Take note of the parts that really suck and find ways to make them better.

Have you done what you’re directing your engineering team to do?

If you have, I’ll bet you’ve worked out the kinks already.

Ivory tower leaders convene in a dark room, decide what’s best, and mandate engineers comply. They don’t have a clue if it actually works. Real leaders limit their mandates and practically experience them first.

Do you understand the second-order effects of your directives?

Have you considered how the system under your care will respond?

You are responsible for a system consisting of people and the software products they produce. That system is normally in equilibrium. If you disturb that equilibrium, you might get what you want, but you also might get some unintended consequences!

Do you cultivate empathy toward those you lead?

Every preceding question points to a practical way to place yourself in their shoes. If it’s been awhile since you’ve exercised these muscles, start working on them tomorrow!