Notes to a development lead–part I

Last two days I have been feeling expansively self-expressive and affectionate. Here is the proof

http://750words.com/entries/stats/439809

and http://750words.com/entries/stats/442646

and this means that there is yet another barrage on the way, and here it is:

 

Today I will like to talk about the leads. I am kind of an self proclaimed expert about this if you think measuring just the time spent in a position is the criterion for experience gained. Though my experience is limited to established services or product companies. In my opinion in a start up or smaller companies, leads' role is more challenging than not but I have not experience about these.This is specific about technical leads in a product org. I do not have any experience about leading a semi OR non technical project. I am grateful that this is the case. Looking at the ambiguity involved in a well defined and measurable technical product itself, it is completely unimaginable to even fathom the challenges that a lead goes through in a non tech project.

 

In a technical project / product / module, Leads are really in a special position.Transition to a lead position most of the times comes when you are just evolving from being one of the best OR the most senior individual contributor in the team (caveat: Unfortunately it is measured as the number of years spent in the team and the availability of the individual in the lead role - both are not valid criterion in my opinion). As compared to higher management, they have pretty good control and understanding of the project. They generally own some particular piece as individual contributor as a team and are involved in most of the technical decisions of the team. They also have good veto powers on the implementation decisions. Typically they are also technical leads/consultants. I think this is the right position to be in. A lead should be and if he is not, should try to be the most knowledgeable person about the complete module or a project. If this is not the case, he at least should try and setup a confidant group who actually is knowledgeable and can decide future directions. As compared to any higher level managers, lead really knows what is going on in the team.

 

As compared to the team, the lead also knows what is going on in the general scene in the company. He knows the political undercurrents and the way changes are happening in the company better than the individual members of the team. This means that he should set up his network with important people in the org at his and higher level. There are a lot of trainings and events organized by a typical company to arrange this. But in my opinion they rarely work. And it is not also advisable to make this kind of networking a very formal activity. A lead has to be an extrovert and come out of his shell. Even if he is an introvert, he should ensure that he gets to be part of such a group. The challenge is to make such a group not a clique of all the "haves" and the big boys' exclusive club. The challenge is to ensure that it happens seamlessly and happens while not damaging the day to day schedule. They should have the unique ability to think and work at both the levels, the individual contributors of the team as well as the higher ladders. Most effective leads have access to multiple layers up. Of these even more successful are those who do not use this access to speed up things. This is again like an influence which diminishes as soon as you uses it. These two things, horizontal networking as well as upward influence are generally considered with aversion. I think this is a right approach to all this. There are so many ways these things can be misused and can have bad impact on your day to day activities that it is always advisable to treat these with all the skepticism possible. But a long term successful and fast growing lead seems to have these two traits in them.

 

The lead is always in a great dilemma. It is always drilled in to him that he is now part of the management and not a group of friends. He should be able to take unpleasant decisions, enforce certain things in the team, rule out the people he wants to be peers with. Be strict and firm and occasionally say no to people. The rule of the thumb to follow is that he should be able to say no to both the sides, up as well down.