211–220 of 259 posts
There's no magic. Humility, patience, fairness, learn from mistakes and be a good listener. There's nothing you inherently lack that can't be acquired through experience. Don't let titles or status go to your head, because it's all temporary and meaningless anyhow. Perhaps find a mentor, either internally or externally, to help you grow into a respectable leader because the last thing you or any sane person wants to…
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> you can't lead from the trenches Not sure why this analogy is applied to software development. The best managers I've had lead from the trenches where we all work.
It's not a matter of workload, it's a matter of perspective.
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>All people have the ability to drive 110% on anything. I don't believe this statement... I generally assume and believe the best in people but after years of working at large tech firms... some people are literally there to put in minimum effort needed to not get fired. Some people are actually even worse and will actively drive away the high performers with negativity and nothing you do or say will change their opi…
Yeah these people exist. But even these people have something that will drive them. I'm not saying that you have to find the spark or that even everyone has the ability to find it. Sometimes, the challenge is so great that it's just not worth it or beyond your abilities. But it's still there for everyone. If you're really really good, you can find out what it is for most people and trigger it.
Yeahhh. Sometimes, as you try ever harder to enable someone to succeed, you eventually realize you're becoming their therapist. Sometimes, you realize that enabling this one person to succeed would involve neglecting everyone else. Sometimes the necessary acceptance, equanimity, and nurturing are of such an absurd degree that it looks like special treatment, or indulgence, to any third party.
I've been a "senior developer" for several years and just moved to a formal management role with direct reports. Briefly, here's where I would suggest you start. 1. Read the book Extreme Ownership by Jocko Willink. I'm not the first to suggest this book but it has fundamentally shaped how I work and how I interact with others. 2. Try to write. I'd start with writing your "Manager Readme" file even if you don't plan t…
That idea and set of principles is something I'm kind of surprised hasn't become more widespread. It also changed my approach in a fundamental way and is one of those things I wish I had learned a long time ago.
Also I've found his Good concept a useful way to stay positive:
Oh, the mission got canceled? Good… We can focus on another one. Didn’t get the new high-speed gear we wanted? Good… We can keep it simple. Didn’t get promoted? Good… More time to get better. Didn’t get funded? Good… We own more of the company. Didn’t get the job you wanted? Good… Go out, gain more experience, and build a better resume. Got injured? Good… Needed a break from training. Got tapped out? Good… It’s better to tap out in training than tap out on the street. Got beat? Good… We learned.
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I think your advice is great for tech leads at big companies, but for tech leads at startups, I have to disagree with the point about "Work for your product - not your company." At a startup, the business objective has to come first and the engineering team has to keep the bigger picture in mind. "Long-term stability and robustness" won't matter if your company is dead. Build for the short-term and build fast while y…
I see where you’re going, but I think the advice still sticks. If you’re at a startup, your product is your business. The point about not hesitating to move fast is the biggest difference between startups and mature companies.
My last startup died because we committed too hard to the product and the business model, which while innovative and one that I still believe could have succeeded - we utterly failed because we didn't understand our customers and we didn't pivot fast enough, ran out of runway and then everyone but the founders got laid off. Waiting on hearing about the equity.
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I see where you’re going, but I think the advice still sticks. If you’re at a startup, your product is your business. The point about not hesitating to move fast is the biggest difference between startups and mature companies.
The problem is if you're at a startup you probably don't know what your product is, because you don't know who your customers are. My last startup died because we committed too hard to the product and the business model, which while innovative and one that I still believe could have succeeded - we utterly failed because we didn't understand our customers and we didn't pivot fast enough, ran out of runway and then eve…
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The problem is if you're at a startup you probably don't know what your product is, because you don't know who your customers are. My last startup died because we committed too hard to the product and the business model, which while innovative and one that I still believe could have succeeded - we utterly failed because we didn't understand our customers and we didn't pivot fast enough, ran out of runway and then eve…
If I may function as the devil's advocate - One can read the above as a claim that because you didn't have a good business guy engineers should have worked faster? Would a faster product iteration worked if the business acumen would still have been missing?
My primary advice is a strong "most people asking this question should not do this".
Not because you won't be good enough or grow into the job, but because it's a completely different job - and one that many programmers who actually like programming don't enjoy and in many cases aren't well suited for.
There are two toxic traps I should confront. The first is that titles like "tech lead" and "CTO" flatter your ego and impress your friends and parents. The only thing I can think of that exceeds this on the "sounds amazing today; tomorrow you'll start the rest of your miserable life" is an idealist taking money from a VC. Find a different way to impress your dad.
The second is that many companies do not understand how to incentivize programmers beyond "junior/intermediate/senior" (even architect is mostly just a senior who has to spend time managing, eg are distracted and less productive most days than a senior with a closed office) and you get to the point where the upper reaches of the programmer food chain are managing other programmers. Very few things could be more destructive. Honestly, it's fucking obnoxious.
You know what the very best programmers should get? A salary twice as big as the next best programmer, a quiet private workspace with permission to work from home, paid childcare and spousal assistance, and firm dedication from the management to insulate them from as many meetings and distractions as logistically possible. There should be penalties for disturbing them. Now that's tech leadership.
Also, the folks saying that you're working for the product, not the company are high as a kite. They are painfully wrong.
Long story short: if you love what you do, thank them politely for considering you and ask them for a quiet workspace and insulation from meetings. Then get back to work.