Last week I had the privilege of participating in a two-day workshop titled “Technical Leadership Masterclass: From Maker to Multiplier” led by Patrick Kua. We were a cohort of 30 colleagues, and the program encompassed a blend of both collaborative and individual assignments, allowing us to delve into the subject matter on how to be a tech lead.
Among the final assignments we had to create an action plan to guide our trajectory beyond the workshop. At the top of my action list was the intention to craft a summary of the key insights I had from the course. And I decided to write it as a blogpost so you might benefit from my learnings as well.
1. Tech lead is as much a mindset as a role
You don’t need to have the official “Tech lead role” to benefit from thinking like a tech lead. Pat Kua talked a lot about moving from maker to multiplier – and that really resonated with me.
A “maker” is all about doing their own thing, knocking out tasks one by one. On the other hand, a “multiplier” not only gets stuff done but also spreads their knowledge. They might let someone else take on the fun or challenging tasks, even if they could do it faster on their own, so others get the oportunity to learn. Or they’ll team up with someone to work together (like pair programming) and learn from each other.
Also – you can be both a maker and a multiplier.
2. Get to know your strenghts (and others)
Take some time for self-reflection. What are your strong suits? What kind of situations really get you excited about your job? And don’t forget to recognize the strengths of your fellow team members. How can your strengths complement each other? By recognizing and leveraging each other’s strengths, you can work together more effectively to tackle challenges and develop innovative solutions.
Creating an environment of open communication within your team is essential. Encourage team members to share their strengths, motivations, and areas where they might need support.
3. Manage, and prioritize, your time
Managing your time is super important for getting stuff done and reducing stress. Time blocking is a great way to do that. It’s all about setting aside specific chunks of time for different tasks or activities throughout your day. This way, you can focus better on what you’re doing, and avoid distractions.
It’s not uncommon to find yourself in situations where all your tasks seem both urgent and important, creating a sense of overwhelm. In such cases, it can be beneficial to employ a tool like the Eisenhower matrix, which provides a structured framework to gain a clearer perspective on what tasks are really important.
4. Remember Cross functional requirements (CFRs)
Cross-functional requirements are like the common ground that various teams and departments need to agree on. These requirements cover big-picture stuff that affects everyone, like performance, security, usability, and scalability.
Within the Teach lead mindset its important to remember the CFRs in all steps of development. They help you make more accurate estimates and keep the project on the right track. Plus, they ensure that the end result not only meets technical requirements but also serves the big-picture needs of the business and users.
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Thank you for reading, and happy coding!
/Eli