Warren Bennis' Editor's Note

Every day, new technology is revolutionizing the way we work and the way we live. Companies and leaders unwilling or unable to embrace technology have watched their more adaptable competitors pass them by. Meanwhile, top technology workers are in high demand, and this demand has allowed to persist the idea that eccentric, unmanageable “geeks” are the rule and must be accepted as a necessary evil. When conventional leadership methods fail to work with these geeks, many managers throw up their hands, because “that’s just the way it is.”

With so much riding on the timely and skillful deployment of new technologies, leaders can’t merely tolerate geeks; they must find new ways to motivate and manage them to maximize the value of their work. Paul Glen has been on both sides of the fence, as a self-proclaimed geek as well as a geek leader. There’s no guesswork here – he knows the people, he knows how they think and how they work, he’s been one of them. Leading Geeks gets inside the heads of technology workers and clearly explains what drives them to excel. The very nature of geeks – their love of challenge and their desire to create solutions - presents a vast and largely untapped resource for organizations. Glen’s insights and experience provide the keys to unlocking this potential.

This book is exactly the blueprint that leaders of technology workers need, describing the obstacles they face and providing solid solutions. Glen illustrates the best methods for motivating geeks, using their talents most effectively, and bridging the communication gap between geeks and the rest of the organization. He even gives name to certain tasks – managing ambiguity, for instance – that we can’t quite put a finger on.

Leading Geeks is also a guide to attracting and keeping the best technology talent. Geeks don’t bestow their loyalty upon a leader for the same reasons that other employees do, nor are they easily won over by the video games and other perks of dot com lore. The leader who understands and respects the geek way of life will reap far greater benefit than one who throws money at the problem. As Glen points out, geek loyalty is elusive, but is staunch once achieved.

As Robert J. Thomas and I would say in our book Geeks and Geezers, the Technology Revolution has been a major crucible for leaders of organizations around the world. Whether you pass the test is up to you; by holding this book in your hands, you are already well on your way.

Warren Bennis
Santa Monica
August, 2002