Re: What I'd like to see in a project leader
Oliver Elphick wrote:
> Speaking from the senile depths of 46, I see little difference between
> 25 and 20!
Yeah, I was wondering about that, and I don't even turn 40 for a few
more months. :-)
There is no *direct* correlation between age and maturity -- some people
are surprisingly mature by their late teens, others never seem to
achieve it (still waiting myself:-). Nevertheless, there is somewhat of
a *tendency* for people to mature as they age.
Of course, Linus, IIRC, wasn't even 20 when he first released his
kernel. And, OC, he has proved to be a great project leader. So, I
won't rule anyone out based on age, but I will confess that I'm going to
be a little more suspicious of very young candidates.
I've read the constitution, and its still not clear to me just what the
role of "project leader" is, and what the exact duties are. Are we
looking for a good PR person, or a good technical lead? We're unlikely
to find someone who is both. Bruce wanted to be both, and ended up
proving that he wasn't very good at PR, nor was he very mature.
I want someone who is enthusiastic (which argues for youth), but mature
enough to handle the inevitable arguments and flamewars (which argues
against youth -- and Bruce). I want someone who will delegate
responsibility *and* credit, when necessary. I really think that
"project coordinator" might be a better title than "leader". Helps weed
out the budding alpha-males seeking fame and glory (like Bruce?).
"Chief Cat Herder" might be the best title of all. :-)
--
Chris Waters xtifr@dsp.net | I have a truly elegant proof of the
or xtifr@debian.org | above, but it is too long to fit into
http://www.dsp.net/xtifr | this .signature file.
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