Professional Life
Black Engineer of the Year Seminar Tells How to Become a 'Technology Leader'
By Bruce Phillips
Feb 27, 2003, 17:08

"Creating a brand called 'You' is essential to your success," advises Kerrie Holley, a chief architect and structural engineer at IBM.

Successful engineers and technical professionals gathered during the 2003 Black Engineer of the Year Awards Conference recently to gain valuable insights and learn new techniques to further their careers. Kerrie L. Holley, a chief architect and distinguished engineer at IBM Corporation, attracted a standing-room-only crowd during his seminar that outlined the skills and attributes of successful technical leadership.

Holley told the assembly that one measure of a manager's success is the number of people who seek that manager out. Successful people are overworked because others want to work with them, he said. They deliver on time, keep commitments, and earn trust from coworkers and supervisors.

"With influence comes affluence," Holley said.

What are some of the personality traits of a technical leader? They have a strong ego but express it without arrogance, are not easily discouraged, and thrive on adversity, Holley said.

Create a brand called "You," Holley advises. "If you can't define what's special about you, you have a performance gap."

For more tips on how to prosper as a technology leader, see the full text of Holley's presentation