Leadership from the Trenches

Manveer Heir, Game Designer, Raven Software

Not a CEO or studio head, creative head or lead designer, not even a manager of any type. Firmly in the middle of his organization. Hopes to give you perspective on what your development team needs and what they really want.

What is leadership? Influence people around you to work more effectively and to be better quality. At the end of the day, we all want to ship a great game. Leadership IS influence.

Game development is difficult. If it wasn’t, we wouldn’t be working so hard to improve.  We need leadership in the trenches, because leadership is “f’ing hard.” The cost of failure can be devastating. Leadership gives us a better chance of success, and exceeding our expectations.

Myth #1: Leadership comes from title. Leadership can come from any part of the organization. Don’t fall into thinking that “I’m not the Lead, so I can’t lead.” 

Myth #2: Having title will make people follow me. Plenty of stories of people with poor leadership who led low budget, low quality titles. You need to earn followers and show people you deserve to have people follow you.

Myth #3: I’m not experienced enough to be a leader. 

If you’re not already a leader, how do you become one? First, identify who your leaders are. Who will the team go to during a crisis? Those people are the leaders. If your answer to that question is “nobody”, you may have a gaping hole in your organization. 

Next, examine your leaders. By examining the current leadership on your team, you’ll see what their styles are and also where there are holes. Then, inspect yourself. What qualities do you bring to the table as a leader? Honesty, respect, etc.

Once you’ve done these things, it’s time to lead. You don’t have to ask permission, you just have to do it. Super important tip: forget about yourself! Once you stop being selfish, you will be able to be an effective leader.

How to lead:

  • Be effective at your job
  • Be proactive
  • Be an agent of change
  • Find and solve problems
  • Communicate outside your discipline
  • Lead in all directions
Lead up – lead the people above you, your boss, your publisher, etc. You add value to that leader, you complement their current leadership.
Lead across – lead your peers, set examples for those you work closest with. Leading by example is one of the most important tools you have as a leader. Grow together, and you will all benefit.
Lead down – The most traditional. If you want people working hard, make sure you’re working hard. If you want people to communicate, be an effective communicator. Find ways to motivate each person individually. Most importantly, make sure the vision of the game is intact when it’s passed down from leaders.
How can organizations promote leadership? Be like Caesar. Empower your people. Give people the opportunity to try something new. We didn’t have to report back on every little detail. Try cross-functional teams. Co-locate your teams and build rapport. Be open to change. Recognize and promote leaders.
Finally, a challenge to be a better leader. Be honest, open and courageous with others. Find more leaders within your organization and find more ways for them to rise up. Help make the best games possible. The key to success is inside every leader.
Slides and text available at http://designrampage.blogspot.com

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Written by Posted in LF08 Session SummaryTags: November 13, 20081 comment



“The IGDA Leadership Forum has, without question, the highest quality of content of any game industry event I have ever attended. As far as “”bang for the buck”" it is the best conference for producers and managers in our industry. Any studio looking to upgrade its production and management techniques should make this a must attend event for their studio’s production and management leads. The annual IGDA Charitable Foundation dinner is also not to be missed.”

- Tom Buscaglia, The Game Attorney


“I’ve had the pleasure of attending the IGDA Leadership Forum for 2 years now. The conference is small and focused, which is its greatest strength. Not only does it offer an excellent schedule with high quality speakers, attendees have many opportunities to connect with other developers. This networking and sharing of ideas is what gives someone the additional tools, and perspective to be better at their job. The IGDA Leadership Forum has had a huge impact on my career. Every year, I’ve come away with new friends and mentors, and new inspiration that I can immediately apply to create positive impact within my company. For such a low cost with such high return, I ask you this: How can you not afford to send yourself and your employees to the IGDA Leadership Forum?”

- Kim Sellentin, Associate Producer, Blizzard Entertainment


“I’ve attended the Leadership forum every year since its inception. It’s my can’t miss conference each year for a couple of reasons… 1. It’s a very personal conference, small enough to get to know everyone and large enough to attract great speakers. 2. The game industry tends to build leaders from with in, but being a great developer does not make a great leader. The Leadership Forum provides a wonderful opportunity to develop those traits and learn how others have gotten there. 3. Unlike some large events, this is a very focused conference. The topic is narrow enough to attract a lot of like minded people and broad enough to cross disciplines. I can’t recomend the Leadership Forum highly enoughto any producer, leader, or simply those in our industry seeking to be the best at their craft. ”

- Chuck Hoover, Studio Production Director, Schell Games


“If you’re a manager in the games industry, or you have managers reporting to you, you owe it to yourself to come out or send them to the IGDA Leadership Forum next year. Your competitors are out here trying to figure out how to get better at capturing the lightning and putting it in a package to ship out to customers. We desperately need better trained leaders in the industry, and this is a proven place where they can come and improve their skills. This year I found an insight in every talk to make me better at my job, and to help my reports become better at their jobs. I really don’t feel like I can afford *not* to go. Can you?”

- Brett Douville, Lead Systems Programmer, Bethesda Softworks
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