Member-only story
The Software Word
10 Admirable Attributes of a Great Technical Lead
It‘s a position that requires intricate calibration of various personality traits
Over the course of my career in software development, I have had the great privilege of working under different technical leads. They are the people who drive the forefront technical direction of the team. I have learned much from them.
To be a great tech lead is hard. It’s an intricate balancing act between two poles of the same attribute. Too much on one side and one can fall.
Below are a few of the attributes that I admire in the best tech leads.
1. Having an Opinion Yet Not Being Opinionated On Everything
There is no tech lead who doesn’t have any opinion on anything. They are promoted to a tech lead because they have their core technical competency and are able to direct a team.
They have opinions, which leads to their decision on how the team should move forward. This is great — as at least as a team, we have a direction.
A smart tech leader, while also having opinions, knows when to keep their opinion to themselves and just listen. They know when they should harvest the knowledge of their team members and synthesize them into a better solution before deciding the course forward.
Even Steve Jobs, who was viewed as “a dictator who listened mainly to his own intuition,” said this:
“It doesn’t make sense to hire smart people and tell them what to do; we hire smart people so they can tell us what to do.” — Steve Jobs
2. Filled With Energy Yet Calm In All Situations
I cherish tech leads who are driven. They are filled with energy. They bring the team forward. Their presence makes the team feel vibrant. Such energy is positive. They are infectious.
However, the energy that a great tech lead has is not the energy that just boosts uncontrollably. It is focused and channeled towards the goal of making the team move…
