The more you advance towards leadership in your tech career, the less technical your focus becomes.
The most helpful things you can do become less about any particular technology or architectural problem and more about how to enable your leaders and team members to solve them.
Here are the most critical things technical leaders can do for their teams.
Trust your team with key projects. Instead of fixing bugs or implementing features yourself, assign these tasks to the right people. This empowers your team and frees you to focus on larger challenges.
Encourage continuous learning. Provide access to online courses, workshops, or conferences. If a team member is interested in a new programming language, support them. This could lead to innovative solutions in the future.
Clear communication is crucial. Regularly share the team’s goals and how each person’s work contributes. This can be done through weekly team meetings or one-on-one check-ins.
Identify potential leaders in your team and mentor them. Pair them with experienced members on challenging projects or let them lead meetings. This helps build a strong pipeline of future leaders.
Look for and eliminate obstacles that slow your team down. This could involve negotiating for more resources, improving tools, or streamlining processes.
By focusing on these actions, you can have a greater impact as a leader, ensuring your team is equipped to tackle technical challenges.