7 Leadership Tips for Developers: How to be a great BOSS

www.colorcode.io/

author: SINA JAZAYERI

Here’s some advise for new managers or team leads in any industry but specifically in tech and mostly dev teams.

1. Your devs don’t work for you, man… or woman. You work for them. If you’re moving into a management role because you get excited by the idea of people working for you, stop it. This isn’t about you anymore. It’s about your team now. Like becoming a parent. I know… I have 5 kids, so I know what I’m talking about…. OK that’s a lie I don’t have any kids… but it’s now all of a sudden all about the people you manage. And there’s a practical reason for that. Their success means your success. You need them to win so you have to make sure everything you do is to serve that purpose, and to help them do their job. Period. Don’t be a dick, you’re not above it.

2. You’re gonna get into more arguments. People who end up in leadership positions usually have strong personalities, that’s how they end up as leaders, they’re fairly opinionated and confident, generally. So as a manager/Lead you’ll be dealing more and more with other leaders who also have their own management styles. So leadership meetings end up being kinda difficult because everybody had to have somewhat of a big personality to get there. Your peers are now suddenly a lot more alpha. Be open minded and get comfortable speaking your mind in difficult management situations. Even if it takes times for you to get there. Have an opinion, build your point of view, and speak it, that’s why you’re there. Just make sure you’re not full of shit.

3. Show up early. Leave late. (Leaders eat last). When you decide to move into leadership you now have some self imposed responsibilities. Comes with the territory. This one is a big one and no one actually tells you about it but if you want the respect of your team you have to earn it. Show up early, and stay late. Be available as much as possible. Set an example for your team members that ownership is not just a cute word or idea. It’s a practical skill you demonstrate every single day.

4. Make time for your team. Individually. Meet with them regularly and often. And don’t you dare reschedule or cancel unless you absolutely have to. They’re depending on you and they wanna impress you. Let them. This is such a big one. If you do this you become the one boss they’ll always remember. All you gotta do is ask ‘how are you’. You’d be amazed how much they’ll share. Make it as formal or informal as THEY want. Some people like meetings, some like coffee, others like lunch. Notice what they respond to best and adjust. The more personal you get the better. They don’t have to like you to work with you, but they do have to like you to follow your lead. This is my own quote, didn’t steal it from anywhere. We don’t have to like each other to work together, but I do have to like you to follow your lead. Damn that’s good.

5. Stay technical. Stay informed. Do your homework. Along the lines of ownership you need to stay on top of your craft. Whatever it is your team does. In our case we’re talking about programmers, make sure as a leader you have a general idea about what going on in your industry and what’s hot these days. It’s soooooo easy to fall behind and become out of touch. Resist it. Take time to read hacker news or JavaScript Daily or whatever else. It goes a long way. It is our craft after all.

6. On the contrary I’ve seen technical managers put too much stress on themselves about knowing absolutely everything. You don’t have to know everything. You’re gonna suck at a lot of things and guess what, this is the worst part, less experienced developers are gonna be better than you at certain things. And that fuckin sucks. But it’s ok. Don’t get nervous or frustrated. Don’t even think about reacting emotionally to it. It’s the name of the game. Embrace everyone’s skills, encourage them and make sure they know that you know they’re good. It’s not a competition.

7. You’re moving into this role because someone decided you are pleasant enough to work with that they can trust you with other people. You’re probably a good communicator so they gave you the job to lead. It’s a privilege. Don’t take it for granted. Few people get this opportunity and if you’re one of them, put it to good use.

These are my basic leadership guidelines. If you do these you’re 90% there. BUT… they are worth nothing unless you try them and get your hands dirty. You have to do it and learn from your own experiences, find your management style and then slowly add your own flavor to it. If you ever wanna talk about your challenges just hit me up. Good luck.