I was in this exact position a few years ago! I led a group for a year and a half, with somewhat mixed success. We did some pretty great successes, but also some pretty embarrassing problems that were at least partially attributable to my inexperience. I learned a ton though! The below is my experience, and may or may not translate to yours, but believe me, it was learned the hard way.

Being a tech lead is only partly about the tech, and mostly about the lead. You'll ultimately succeed or fail based on your team.

Being an effective leader requires a completely different set of skills than being an effective engineer. This, as silly as it sounds now, took me by surprise. You may have a decade-plus of dev experience but still be starting from zero when it comes to people. (Or not; some people will be better equipped for this than others. I wasn't so much.)

Find a mentor. Someone you can be completely honest with, and who will be honest with you. Bonus points if they know your team well too -they'll see things that you won't.

You may have to be pretty intentional about finding out what's going on in your team. Once you're in a position of authority, people won't always feel free to tell you.

Share as much context with your team as you can. They'll be more motivated if they understand why their work is important and has value. Even if you understand this... people aren't mind readers. They don't know what's in your head.

Part of your job now is to be available to people. This may mean you don't get to actually work on the tech yourself as much (or at all). It may mean you get interrupted more. That's may or may not annoy you, but you need to make the best choices you can for your team now, not (just) for you.

Share success when you can. You may find yourself in situations where people attribute your team's success to you... and while that's not wrong (you're the lead after all) it's also a great opportunity to share credit with those in your team. It's worth so much to people when you do this.

People are not interchangeable, and treating them as if they invites trouble. You can have great people, who still have a hard time working together for whatever reason. Be aware of inter-team dynamics; they can sink you. (Situations like this are why it's great to have a mentor.)

It's important to keep a close eye on how things are going, but don't confuse that with micro-management. Your best people are going to want some autonomy, and it's best for everybody if you find a way to give it to them. If things aren't going so well your instinct may be to tighten your grip... not necessarily wrong, but consider that may come across as a lack of trust on your part.

Above all: think of your job as less about being in control (though you may be) and more about fostering an environment where your team can do your best work. Get them what they need, shield them from the crap, give them what opportunities you can. Don't be selfish or mean. Be kind, be empathatic.

Good luck.

user:	laddershoe
created:	February 6, 2020
karma:	57