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(U//FOUO) The Bald Truth: Technical Leadership
FROM: Charles H. Berlin III
SID Chief of Staff
Run Date: 10/24/2003
(U) Note from SIGINT Communications: this is the
first edition of "The Bald Truth" - articles from
Charles Berlin that will appear twice monthly.
(U) Some of the feedback from my previous articles asked about
my thoughts on technical leadership. As usual, I have an opinion let me know if you agree.
(U) First of all, we are a technical agency and always will be. Our
technical capabilities and high tech nature are found in the brains
of our people. Fundamentally, technical leadership has something
to do with leading technical people. We need to have strong
programs to hire, develop and retain technical people (BTW, as a
former East German linguist, I include language analysts and such
as technical people). We have some pretty good programs for this.
Technical leadership will have to be focused on the human capital.
Senior technical people have to lead, mentor and take
responsibility for building our future. Technical leadership also
entails keeping yourself current in your field.
(U) But there are several other aspects of this domain. First it is a
legitimate function of a technical leader to "tell the geeks when
they are done." Seems flip, I know, but no disrespect meant when
I tell you what you already know: software is never "done" and
somebody has to declare victory. Perfect really is the enemy of
good enough. We have pretty high standards, so "good enough"
never means shoddy or compromised, but let's face it: the job has
to be finished sometime . This decision is a skill that can be
learned, but it essentially comes from an exquisite understanding
of the requirements and a solid business sense for when they are
achieved (remember "Business Acumen"? You are supposed to
have some if you are a leader).
(U//FOUO) A second aspect of technical leadership is what I call
alignment. In the 70's we often built things because we could - if it
can be done, why not build it? In the 80's and 90's it had to be
feasible and also important. Now we have the third criterion: can
we afford it? This means that there are ideas and systems that are
feasible and even important that we will not build. No kidding, we
could have a lifesaving idea that will not make the cut. Technical
leadership has to draw that cut line. A technical leader does this by
reviewing the guidance and priorities that come from the strategic
plan and ensuring that every project and program conforms to that
plan. Further - and this is where the real technical part comes in the technical leader ensures that the solution is as efficient,
reusable and networked into the service-based architecture. For
instance, if you are building a database that does not use the PKI
architecture (or worse invents its own), then you are wrong. A
technical leader ensures this does not happen.
(U//FOUO) Technical leadership insists on a rigorous scrub of
SERIES:
The Bald Truth
1. The Bald Truth:
Technical Leadership
2. The Bald Truth: The
Sweet Conspiracy
3. The Bald Truth: P3 &
Promotion Feedback
4. The Bald Truth:
Helping Your Leaders
Make Decisions that
Stick
5. Letters to the Editor:
Helping Your Leaders
Make Decisions that
Stick
6. Letter to the Editor:
Helping Your Leaders
Make Decisions that
Stick
requirements and alignment - it just has to be habitual and
ingrained in our culture. This third aspect is necessary for our
technical reputation but not sufficient. The last aspect of technical
leadership is the mandate to create. Technical leadership is about
sheer creativity. To be successful in the future we have to actually
invent new ideas, techniques and applications. We will look to the
technical leaders to come up with some no-kidding killer
applications. We want to massively surprise our enemies with
capabilities they cannot imagine. Our technical leadership can
imagine them and will. Invent anything lately?
(U) One last question: Is technical leadership an oxymoron? I don't
think so. Being a "techie" is not a license to withdraw from the
leadership field. Neither is grade. Wherever you find yourself,
whatever your grade, you must lead. Just do it.
"(U//FOUO) SIDtoday articles may not be republished or reposted outside NSANet
without the consent of S0121 (DL sid comms)."
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