Do Repeat Yourself: How to move from Development into Leadership

As a developer moving into a leadership role for the first time it can be can be tough, confusing, and at times overwhelming. This was certainly the case for me. I discovered that the principles I had once followed when building software were no longer effective as a leader. However, after a few years I can confidently say that becoming a leader is one of the most fulfilling things I've done. In this talk you will learn some of the ways to adapt your developer skillset to that of a tech lead, and I will share my observations in making these adjustments myself. We'll look at how the problems you need to solve are suddenly very unfamiliar, with incentives that are often the reverse to what you've been used to. If you've had similar experiences or are considering a move into leadership yourself, this talk is for you. You will leave with an number of effective strategies for becoming a tech lead, while remaining kind to yourself and others.

This talk has been delivered at:
iOSDevUK, Aberystwyth, September 5th 2023
dotnetsheff, Sheffield, November 7th 2023
Software Engineering Leadership @ WRK, Leeds, March 28th 2024

References from this talk

📕 Books
The One Minute Manager
Leadership and the One Minute Manager
The First 90 Days
The Phoenix Project
Leading Snowflakes

📰 Online Resources
Note Taking During One on Ones
My Manager README

👥 Community
LeadDev
Software Lead Weekly

🗣️ Talks
Becoming an iOS Dev, again by Michał Waśniewski
Next Step: Management? by Leah Vogel

🔨 Tools
Things
Bear
Xmind
Fantastical

Transcript

1. Luke Stringer, @lukestringer90. March 28th 2024. AND Digital, Leeds. Do Repeat Yourself How to move from Development into Leadership
2. Hi, I’m Luke ! I’m an Mobile Developer from Sheffield I work for AND Digital as a Tech Principal I go by @lukestringer90 online
3. 1. Developer Life 2. Opportunity to Lead 3. First Steps 5. Technical Leadership 4. People Problems 6. Communication 7. You as a Leader 8. Finding Peace
4. 1. Developer Life
5. Individual Contributor Clear outcomes Code compiles Tests pass PRs approved Code is merged App is released App is improved 1. Developer Life
6. Course, tutorials, books Side projects Code review WWDC Google I/O Improving your developer skills 1. Developer Life Individual Contributor
7. 1. Developer Life Individual Contributor Strong peer group
8. Challenge Skill Boredom Anxiety Flow State 1. Developer Life Individual Contributor
9. Challenge Skill Boredom Anxiety Flow State 1. Developer Life Individual Contributor …foreshadowing
10. 1. Developer Life
11. 2. Opportunity to Lead
12. 2. Opportunity to Lead A new role Internal promotion Your boss leaves A new team is created Leadership opportunity at a different company
13. 2. Opportunity to Lead Reasons for moving Want a new / more challenge Bored of just writing code Solve problems you have seen as a developer More influence Avoid regret at not taking the opportunity
14. (not so good) 2. Opportunity to Lead Reasons for moving You are a good developer, so you must be a good leader (right?) Business thinks you are the only person who can lead a team It’s the only route for progression and promotion …ahem… more money Leadership / management isn’t the only path for progression Michał Waśniewski
15. 2. Opportunity to Lead Michał Waśniewski Becoming an iOS developer, again iOSDevUK 2022 INTERN ASSOCIATE INDIVIDUAL CONTRIBUTOR SENIOR INDIVIDUAL CONTRIBUTOR STAFF SENIOR STAFF PRINCIPAL FELLOW MANAGER SENIOR MANAGER DIRECTOR VICE PRESIDENT SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT Leadership / management isn’t the only path for progression
16. 2. Opportunity to Lead
17. 3. First Steps
18. Thrilled at the opportunity …but feelings of being an imposter Excitement! Anxiety! 3. First Steps This is totally normal
19. From the business From your team From yourself High expectations Be realistic You can’t change everything right away You need to find your feet Set expectations accordingly 3. First Steps
20. Be realistic You can’t change everything right away You need to find your feet Set expectations accordingly 3. First Steps
21. You were a peer, now a boss People will now look to you for answers and direction But you are missing information and clarity yourself Uncertainty and ambiguity Unfamiliar Territory The best leaders are comfortable being themselves Get used to uncertainty Don’t worry about what you cannot control 3. First Steps
22. Loss of your peer group 3. First Steps
23. Loss of your peer group 3. First Steps You now have a different peer group Technical Leadership Engineering Management
24. You now have a different peer group Technical Leadership Engineering Management 3. First Steps
25. 3. First Steps
26. 4. People Problems
27. 4. People Problems What should I ask? Sometimes they are uncomfortable and awkward They don’t seem very effective 1-2-1 meetings Ask what they want to discuss Also prepare what you want to discuss Choose the right open vs closed questions Have a few ice breakers / prompts
28. 4. People Problems 1-2-1 meetings Get to know people Not always be about work Sometimes people are awkward, including you! Take notes, so you can track progress and effectiveness What should I ask? Sometimes they are uncomfortable and awkward They don’t seem very effective
29. 4. People Problems Get to know people Not always be about work Sometimes people are awkward, including you! Take notes, so you can track progress and effectiveness
30. 4. People Problems Within your own team Between you and your team Between your team and another Between you and the business Feeling stuck in the middle Dealing with conflict Doing the right thing is hard Have empathy, and be fair Have a plan, but prepare to think on your feet Ensure you have support; confide in other leaders
31. 4. People Problems How do I manage people with different skills and seniority? Am I spending too much time on problems? Am I nurturing talent? Growing a team Have confidence in your technical skills You now have different responsibilities, and not everyone will understand
32. 4. People Problems How do I manage people with different skills and seniority? Am I spending too much time on problems? Am I nurturing talent? Growing a team You are no longer building software, you are building a team Do not neglect rising stars
33. 4. People Problems From The One Minute Manager "Goals Begin Behaviours
 Consequences Maintain Behaviours”
34. 4. People Problems
35. 5. Technical Leadership
36. 5. Technical Leadership Leah Vogel Loss of your technical chops
37. Loss of your technical chops 5. Technical Leadership You don’t have to 100% lose them Not hands on, but hands warm, development Take yourself out of the critical path Work on bugs, experiments, code review Leah Vogel
38. 5. Technical Leadership Loss of your technical chops Watch WWDC, Google I/O Attend conferences, meetups Discuss code with devs Keep an area of expertise; Git, CI/CD, Regex
39. 5. Technical Leadership Use the maker calendar Switch between “Manager” and “Maker” modes
40. 5. Technical Leadership Loss of your technical chops Trust your team Your ignorance is now a super power to ask stupid questions Normalise for juniors or introverts Builds a shared understanding
41. 5. Technical Leadership I don’t have time to keep up to date I’m getting rusty My technical opinions won’t be respected Being technical enough Accept others will know more, seek their help and they will appreciate it Identify, measure and prioritise risks Stand up for tech debt Champion broader engineering principles
42. 5. Technical Leadership
43. 6. Communication
44. …to non-techies …to techies Talking 6. Communication
45. 6. Communication Giving the right level of detail Making people care about tech issues Getting buy-in from non-technical stakeholders Talking tech to non-techies Make it tangible; money, time, reputation, customer satisfaction, speed Back it up with data and precedent Employ metaphors, diagrams, presentations You are the voice of “tech”
46. 6. Communication Making people care about non-tech issues Business decisions trumping tech Incurring tech debt Important but uninteresting news Talking non-tech to techies Explain the effects, now and into the future Use same language as wider company communications Be clear and honest You are the voice of “the business”
47. …to non-techies …to techies Talking 6. Communication
48. You are the “glue” Be consistent Adapt your message as needed …to non-techies …to techies Talking 6. Communication
49. 6. Communication Why are my changes not embedded? Why am I misunderstood? Why do people forget what I’ve said? Why must I repeat myself? Being effective Have you understood and remembered everything your boss has told you?!
50. 6. Communication Why are my changes not embedded? Why am I misunderstood? Why do people forget what I’ve said? Why must I repeat myself? Being effective " Do Repeat Yourself " Be forgiving to others and yourself Grab people’s attention Inject some personality with emojis, memes, gifs
51. 6. Communication Why are my changes not embedded? Why am I misunderstood? Why do people forget what I’ve said? Why must I repeat myself? Being effective Take your time; clarity is paramount Connect what you are saying to a larger narrative or strategy Use all forums & tools; 1-2-1s, team meetings, Slack, email etc
52. 6. Communication
53. 7. You as a Leader
54. 7. You as a Leader Tracking many different, sometimes unrelated, projects Urgent vs important prioritisations Remembering yours and others actions, and the deadlines Dealing with context switching Being organised Find a tool or process that works for you I use; • Hand written notes • Four colour pen • Things for todos • Bear for .md typed notes • XMind for mind mapping
55. Use a mind map (notepad, whiteboard, digital) to get stuff out of your head Create connections and areas of similarities Turn these into actions 7. You as a Leader
56. 7. You as a Leader Tracking many different, sometimes unrelated, projects Urgent vs important prioritisations Remembering yours and others actions Dealing with context switching Being organised Spend time curating and refactoring your calendar Look ahead to make sure you are prepared Get good with your app of choice; I use Fantastical
57. 7. You as a Leader Tracking many different, sometimes unrelated, projects Urgent vs important prioritisations Remembering yours and others actions Dealing with context switching Being organised Manage your context switching Book time in with yourself to do your work Mute Slack, email etc for Flow State work Use a Pomodoro timer
58. 7. You as a Leader Doing “people stuff” is draining When to be cautious vs acting swiftly Perfectionism in my work Everyone needs me, and there is no time for my work Feeling overwhelmed Don’t do back to back 1-2-1s Learn from your mistakes, but realise inaction is also an action Use an MVP approach, and iterate
59. 7. You as a Leader Doing “people stuff” is draining When to be cautious vs acting swiftly Perfectionism in my work Everyone needs me, and there is no time for my work Feeling overwhelmed Practise and be kind to yourself Say No and be clear on what your priorities are Find the right work-life balance
60. 7. You as a Leader
61. 8. Finding Peace
62. 8. Finding Peace For your team to be effective, you need to be effective You need space to think, and find your flow state Protect your time Say No No Agenda? Then No Attenda Be selfish
63. 8. Finding Peace You cannot just watch a video / read a book on leadership, you have to do it Building people and teams is hard, but hugely rewarding Your feedback loop is slower, so give yourself time Be realistic A leader’s role is diverse, evolving and multifaceted
64. 8. Finding Peace Talk about wellbeing, and normalise it Recognise you are a team contributor, and this adds immense value Be the role model you would want yourself Be kind Find a way to switch off from work
65. Have fun!
66. 8. Finding Peace
67. The Future…
68. The Future Talk about your experience Help create a Leadership Pathway Mentor others Create a Manager README
69. The Future 1. Developer Life Talk about your experience Help create a Leadership Pathway Mentor others Create a Manager README Or… Start the cycle again Go back to being a developer
70. 1. Developer Life 2. Opportunity to Lead 3. First Steps 5. Technical Leadership 4. People Problems 6. Communication 7. You as a Leader 8. Finding Peace
71. Luke Stringer, @lukestringer90. March 28th 2024. AND Digital, Leeds. Do Repeat Yourself How to move from Development into Leadership
72. # Books • The One Minute Manager • Leadership and the One Minute Manager • The First 90 Days • The Phoenix Project • Leading Snowflakes $ Online Resources • Note Taking During One on Ones • My Manager README % Community • Software Lead Weekly • Software Engineering Leadership @ WRK & Talks • Becoming an iOS Dev, again by Michał Waśniewski • Next Step: Management? 
 by Leah Vogel ' Tools • Things • Bear • Xmind • Fantastical Contact • lukestringer90 on social media • stringer.dev • luke@stringer.dev