Have You Made This Common Mistake as a New Tech Leader?

Often times technologists stepping into a leadership role for the first time are tempted to lead by telling rather than empowering. This rarely goes well for many reasons. Individuals feel very little ownership of their work when they are just told what to do.

I know an experienced software development leader whose engineering team pressed her for project due dates. Her wise response was this, “How can I know the completion dates for this project when all of you are doing the work?” 

Instead of dictating an unrealistic guess at a completion date, she facilitated a discussion that pushed them to consider all aspects of the project and determine their own release dates. This caused a shift in mindset for them. They were now the owners of the dates, not the recipients of them, which increased the likelihood of success.

This shift in mindset happens with more than just deadlines and release dates. If a team is allowed to participate in the planning and execution of a project as opposed to being told what to do, they are more likely to feel ownership and motivation.

This is new behavior for many leaders who have been successful individual contributors and are used to being “the smartest person in the room.” 

As a technical leader, often times the smartest thing to do is to NOT have all the answers. Instead, draw out and facilitate brilliant, innovative ideas from the team and support them in their decisions.

The leader’s job becomes less about telling people what to do and more about tapping into the strengths of the team, removing roadblocks, and helping them succeed.

If you’d like to learn more about how I help technical leaders accelerate their growth and influence, click here to schedule a leadership strategy call.