Developer -> TeamleadUnexpected journey

About me

✦ client-side since 2000

✦ server-side as well

✦ team lead in 3 companies and now leading 11 developers

Should I?

✦ should I become a teamlead?

Everyone’s different

✦ don’t expect people to be like you

✦ explain this to others

✦ balance between goals and motivation

✦ find strengths and leverage them

You’re alone and not alone

✦ You are the team

✦ Team success is your success

✦ Your ass gets kicked

Uncertainty

✦ Humans are not robots

✦ Just not possible to control everything

Knowledge

✦ management != development

✦ how deep is the rabbit hole?

✦ must be productive even not knowing enough

Skills

✦ Empathy

✦ Will

✦ Strength

✦ where to learn?

Time

✦ you’re not a developer

✦ processes take time

✦ delegation

✦ interruptions

✦ crazy hours

Compromises

✦ intuitive prioritisation

✦ “less worst” rule

✦ effectiveness

✦ be prepared to fail

Politics

✦ multiple areas of pressure

✦ you get the “feedback”

✦ hard questions

✦ building trust

Demotivation

✦ I love coding but can’t any more

✦ not being able to improve quickly

Motivations

✦ challenge

✦ growth

✦ model

Wins

✦ happy people + great results (not necessarily have both)

✦ the team is great according to everyone in the company

Results

✦ 200 product features backlog gone

✦ daily releases

✦ atmosphere, people, transparency

Recap

✦ it’s very different role, not necessarily a step up

✦ lots of uncertainties, accepting it

✦ different process

✦ might be hard for certain personality types?

Thank you!v.sharovatov@corp.badoo.com