From Geek to Lead: A Techie's Guide to Leadership

Are you a trusted "go-to" invidividual who's suddenly expected to lead people—not just projects? Moving from expert to manager is one of the toughest jumps in any tech career.
 
What this book gives you
From Geek To Lead is a practical, no-jargon guide for first-time (or first-few-times) leaders. You'll get clear frameworks, ready-to-use checklists, and real stories from teams we've led and coached across higher education, government, and industry.
 
You'll learn how to:
- Understand what's expected of modern teams—and of you as their leader
- Communicate with clarity (up, down, and sideways) without drowning in detail
- Build a high-trust team and develop people with different strengths and styles
- Set direction and priorities, even with limited data and shifting goals
- Establish healthy processes without killing creativity
- Navigate tricky moments: conflict, resistance, under-performance, and burnout
 
What's inside
- A practical "first 90 days" playbook for new tech managers
- Templates for 1:1s, feedback, and role clarity
- Checklists for meetings, decisions, and stakeholder alignment
- A capstone case study that ties it all together
 
Who this is for
- Anyone stepping into leadership
- Team leads, new managers, and aspiring execs

About the authors
Yousif Asfour is Chief Innovation & Transformation Officer at the American University of Beirut; former founding CIO at NYU Abu Dhabi and President of the CIO Lebanon Association.

Sandra Molloy is a leadership development executive and neuroscience coach who has designed culture-change programs across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa.
Lead with confidence—not just code. This book shows you how.

Yousif Asfour is a technology executive and leadership educator with more than 25 years of experience as CIO and CTO in the USA and the Middle East. He currently serves as Chief Innovation and Transformation Officer at the American University of Beirut, leading the Office of Information Technology, the Talal and Madiha Zein AUB Innovation Park, and AUB Online. He was previously the founding CIO at NYU Abu Dhabi and President of the CIO Lebanon Association. Yousif holds a Ph.D. in Cognitive and Neural Systems from Boston University.
Sandra Molloy is a leadership development executive and neuroscience coach who has designed culture-change programs across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. With more than three decades in IT and leadership development, she helps organizations create positive and sustainable change through practical, people-centered approaches