Leadership As A Way To Success In Your DevOps Journey

Andrey Byhalenko
The DevOps Mindset
Published in
2 min readOct 27, 2023

Even if not in formal leadership roles, DevOps engineers may need to take the lead in certain situations.

Leadership skills include motivating and influencing team members, setting a positive example, and driving initiatives forward.

Photo by Jehyun Sung on Unsplash

DevOps engineers have a crucial role.

They make sure that every piece of the software development chain works well and that all the teams work together, cooperating. To ensure that, a DevOps engineer needs to be a good team player and leader.

Let’s dive into why leadership skills are so important.

Teamwork is a key

  • Bringing People Together: The DevOps concept is to close the gap between development and operations. DevOps engineers need to help different teams cooperate as one.
  • Boosting Team Spirit: A good DevOps engineer can cheer up the team, especially when things get tough. They remind everyone of the team’s goals and help them stay excited and motivated.

Setting the Right Example

  • Showing Best Practices: DevOps engineers are often looked up to. When they work carefully and do things right, others learn from them and follow their steps.
  • Staying Positive: Challenges happen. A leading DevOps engineer stays positive and calm, which motivates the whole team.

Keeping Things on Track

  • Solving Problems: Sometimes, things don’t go as planned. A DevOps engineer with leadership skills can think quickly, find solutions, and help the teams move forward.
  • Organizing Work: Good leaders can plan well. They decide about priorities and guide the team to perform the tasks in the right order.

Clear Communication

  • Explaining Simply: Many people are involved in any software project. A skilled DevOps engineer can break down complex ideas into simple words so everyone understands them.
  • Active Listening: Good leaders know how to listen. They make sure they understand what others are saying and make everyone feel heard.

Adapting to Change

  • Staying Updated: In the DevOps world, new tools and methods appear often. Good DevOps engineers learn them and teach others.
  • Staying Calm: Changes can be scary. A leading DevOps engineer can make the team feel safe and confident when trying new things.

Being a DevOps engineer is not just about technical skills.

It’s about working with people, guiding them, and making sure the team succeeds. Leadership skills are a big plus for every DevOps engineer, making work smoother and more fun for everyone.

If you liked my articles, join my newsletter, and you will receive weekly DevOps tutorials, articles, and tips every Saturday.

As a bonus, you will receive a free step-by-step DevOps CI/CD project, which you can use in your portfolio.

Subscribe here: https://junior-devops-hub.ck.page

--

--

Andrey Byhalenko
The DevOps Mindset

I'm a DevOps Engineer, Photography Enthusiast, and Traveler. I write articles aimed at junior DevOps engineers and those aspiring to become DevOps engineers.