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Ask HN: How to move from dev role to management/team lead role?

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Ask HN: How to move from dev role to management/team lead role?

#1

Post by deliriumchn »

I feel like I achieved almost everything I wanted as a frontend developer (even moved from just working with UI/react/etc to pure R&D, researching and working with browser api for innovarive/obscure tasks) and while backend looks interesting for me, I know that I will have to take a paycut if I would move there. Becoming a team leader or moving to other management position looks more promising from salary and work enjoyment (for me) purposes, so what are my next steps are?

Is there any good reads, courses, videos, lectures etc I should know of? I work in small startup for the past year so I don't have anything to take example of nor I have any opportunity to lead a team (except one guy I'm mentoring)

Re: Ask HN: How to move from dev role to management/team lead role?

#2

Post by dangitnotagain »

I question your motives.

From the way you describe your experiences, it sounds like you’re a young adventurer on the journey.

These things come in their own due time, and if they are appropriate, they will mature and flourish from within you.

You will be chosen when there is a need, and you are able.

In the meantime a few thoughts to prepare yourself.

- be superbly well organized. Take written notes. Compose your thoughts carefully (self edit.) provide written accounts to your overhead as well as peers/delegates.

- know your stuff. Go the distance to prepare and know that the best answer is never the most exciting, it is the most EFFECTIVE.

- A leadership position is not one of vanity or even “self development”, it is one for getting the job done in the most stable, reliable, measured, and complete way for those who pay you to solve their problems.

I would choose someone boring and methodical to lead over a hotshot any day.

Re: Ask HN: How to move from dev role to management/team lead role?

#3

Post by deliriumchn »

dangitnotagain wrote: post #2

I question your motives. From the way you describe your experiences, it sounds like you’re a young adventurer on the journey. These things come in their own due time, and if they are appropriate, they will mature and flourish from within you. You will be chosen when there is a need, and you are able. In the meantime a few thoughts to prepare yourself. - be superbly well organized. Take written notes. Compose your tho…

> it sounds like you’re a young adventurer on the journey

Not exactly, but not very far either (6 years in including 20k+ empl companies and small startups)

Thanks for good advice. I agree with you.

Re: Ask HN: How to move from dev role to management/team lead role?

#4

Post by wiz21c »

dangitnotagain wrote: post #2

I question your motives. From the way you describe your experiences, it sounds like you’re a young adventurer on the journey. These things come in their own due time, and if they are appropriate, they will mature and flourish from within you. You will be chosen when there is a need, and you are able. In the meantime a few thoughts to prepare yourself. - be superbly well organized. Take written notes. Compose your tho…

>A leadership position is not one of vanity or even “self development”,

No, it is a position where you have to implement the vision of your boss. It's a position where you're a slave. If your boss is a good one (who listens, helps and defend), you'll be a happy slave. If your boss is not, you'll have to do things against your own will and convince your team that it's good for them. Many people can do that but a lot more can not.

So the first time you'll have a proposal to be a manager, be sure to be able to recognize if your boss will be good or not. That kind of information is best gathered by participating to extra-work activities where you can get "off the record" information. And that prepares you to be a boss: much of your work happens outside of your team, in informal contacts.

Re: Ask HN: How to move from dev role to management/team lead role?

#5

Post by sverhagen »

dangitnotagain wrote: post #2

I question your motives. From the way you describe your experiences, it sounds like you’re a young adventurer on the journey. These things come in their own due time, and if they are appropriate, they will mature and flourish from within you. You will be chosen when there is a need, and you are able. In the meantime a few thoughts to prepare yourself. - be superbly well organized. Take written notes. Compose your tho…

>These things come in their own due time,

Yeah, well, sure... but also don't be shy to ask for what you want (you know... "in due time"), because many managers will maintain the status quo if they can, and definitely not volunteer to promote you out of being a great individual contributor at their own expense of having to replace you.

Re: Ask HN: How to move from dev role to management/team lead role?

#7

Post by mattchamb »

wiz21c wrote: post #4
dangitnotagain wrote: post #2

I question your motives. From the way you describe your experiences, it sounds like you’re a young adventurer on the journey. These things come in their own due time, and if they are appropriate, they will mature and flourish from within you. You will be chosen when there is a need, and you are able. In the meantime a few thoughts to prepare yourself. - be superbly well organized. Take written notes. Compose your tho…

>A leadership position is not one of vanity or even “self development”, No, it is a position where you have to implement the vision of your boss. It's a position where you're a slave. If your boss is a good one (who listens, helps and defend), you'll be a happy slave. If your boss is not, you'll have to do things against your own will and convince your team that it's good for them. Many people can do that but a lot m…

I went from a being a manager with a good boss, to a manager with a bad one. It is such a different experience, and is making me change back to an IC role for my own sanity.

Re: Ask HN: How to move from dev role to management/team lead role?

#8

Post by ivan_gammel »

wiz21c wrote: post #4
dangitnotagain wrote: post #2

I question your motives. From the way you describe your experiences, it sounds like you’re a young adventurer on the journey. These things come in their own due time, and if they are appropriate, they will mature and flourish from within you. You will be chosen when there is a need, and you are able. In the meantime a few thoughts to prepare yourself. - be superbly well organized. Take written notes. Compose your tho…

>A leadership position is not one of vanity or even “self development”, No, it is a position where you have to implement the vision of your boss. It's a position where you're a slave. If your boss is a good one (who listens, helps and defend), you'll be a happy slave. If your boss is not, you'll have to do things against your own will and convince your team that it's good for them. Many people can do that but a lot m…

1. Mature leaders do not work under bosses (unless their greed meets really good salary). There are plenty of places to work at without top-down culture.

2. Mature leaders have values and personal agenda.

3. Mature leaders have manage-up skill and use it to align their manager expectations with their values.

Re: Ask HN: How to move from dev role to management/team lead role?

#9

Post by sokoloff »

My number one book recommendation on the topic is "Managing Humans" by Michael Lopp (Rands in Repose). If you want to get some of the content for free [and see if the author's style works for you], check out the blog first perhaps: https://randsinrepose.com/archives/category/management/

In terms of advice, don't overlook or look down on yourself in regards to just mentoring this one guy. It's a perfect starting point and maybe check in with the founder or your direct boss to express that you'd like to progressively get more involved here.

My (and many people's) first leadership role was a team of two, which I later grew to a third dev and we shipped an entire Playstation game after I made and overcame many mistakes as a team lead. I'm glad to have had the chance to make those mistakes in a small team; the same mistakes on a team of eight may have been impossible to recover from as my first experience.

In that type of a role, you are still hands-on coding 70+% of the time, which in many ways, I found to be an incredibly enjoyable mix, and gives you a taste of leadership to help you decide whether you want more or that or not. I enjoyed that journey and, when it comes time to retire, I'm somewhat likely to take that level of 3/4-IC and 1/4-team lead role again.

Re: Ask HN: How to move from dev role to management/team lead role?

#10

Post by cauliflower99 »

The steps to stepping into a leadership role are largely two-fold:

- Express to your manager your interest in stepping into a leadership role over the next 6-12 months.

- Write down a list of responsibilities / behaviours a good leader has in your company. Take on one of these responsibilities one at a time to show that you both interested and serious about a leadership role. Advertise to your manager how you are progressing with these extra responsibilities each month via email so they had a written record.

A leadership role has much higher responsibilities and so your manager (if they are a good manager) will not promote you into the role without knowing you can do the job first. Leaders lead by action, not be theory. I know some great leaders who have a very poor theoretical understanding. And I know some horrible leaders who know the theory inside out.

Focus on action.

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