Why everyone should want to be a boss
I was recently invited to take the lead of the team I work with. Our boss had served his time and, being the programmer with most seniority, I was naturally set to step up. I gladly accepted the challenge.
Later that week one of my teammates disclosed to me that he was happy I was taking the role because he was next in line and he didn’t want to become tech lead, he said he’d “rather never go into management altogether”.
Agreed, we are not all made to be leaders in the workplace. Most of us don’t prefer it and won’t enjoy it. This is especially true for techies: we love fixing things and investigating how things work, and we prefer to work with things rather than people.
I confessed to my colleague that I also didn’t want to go into management forever. I love coding and there’s still a myriad of things to learn, I wouldn’t want to stay on the other side of the industry.
Why did I accept the position then?
Well, to start off, my job leads me to wherever I’m valued the most, and right now the company needs me as tech lead. But beyond the economical incentive, it started becoming clear that there are many good reasons to feel motivated to accept this challenge, at least once in my career. Here are some reasons I can think:
1. Knowing how to lead will make you better at following
There’s a stereotype that we as techies feel our work is the only real work, and managers don’t actually do much. This is patently false: most leaders work overtime and make hard decisions constantly, on top of being responsible for the work of their team. To be a good team player we must have empathy with our leaders, and the best way is to walk a mile in their shoes.
2. Bridge the gap with management
In a similar note, we often shy away from our leaders. We enjoy a bout of uninterrupted work, but we dislike meetings, especially the “How is the task going?” type.
When I asked the (outgoing) team lead about the best way to manage the relationship with his boss (the CEO) he said: “Have a meeting with her once a week, maybe more. Be the one who starts the conversation, don’t make her have to chase you. Keep her in the loop, be proactive.”
I think this applies to everyone’s relationship with their boss, but somehow having more important people as your boss makes it more unavoidable.
3. Broaden your view on the project
As Jocko Willink would say: take a step back, look at the big picture. Having a leader’s perspective means you get to think beyond the immediate. This is why leaders most times isolate themselves physically, in different offices, not because they feel superior, but to detach from the day-to-day.
4. Leading will teach you about yourself
You don’t know who you are until you lead others. If nothing else, this is a great opportunity for personal development. You get the chance to take the reins of a team working on something you know and love. This is a unique opportunity to practice being an adult.
Lastly, you can always step down
After this experience as tech lead, I will probably go back to software development because I love programming. But, who knows, the future might yet surprise us.
