[Software Engineering at Google] CH5 How to Lead a Team
1 minute read
The Engineering Manager
At the highest level, an engineering manager is responsible for the performance, productivity, and happiness of every person on their team
The Tech Lead
The tech lead (TL) of a team—who will often report to the manager of that team—is responsible for (surprise!) the technical aspects of the product, including technology decisions and choices, architecture, priorities, velocity, and general project management
The Tech Lead Manager
On small and nascent teams for which engineering managers need a strong technical skill set, the default is often to have a TLM: a single person who can handle both the people and technical needs of their team
At Google, it’s customary for larger, well-established teams to have a pair of leaders—one TL and one engineering manager—working together as partners
Moving from an Individual Contributor Role to a Leadership Role
Quantifying management work is more difficult than counting widgets you turned out, but just making it possible for your team to be happy and productive is a big measure of your job. Just don’t fall into the trap of counting apples when you’re growing bananas
Great reasons to consider becoming a TL or manager
First, it’s a way to scale yourself
Second, you might just be really good at it
Servant Leadership
The symptoms of this disease include, but are by no means limited to, micromanaging, ignoring low performers, and hiring pushovers
To avoid this, above all, resist the urge to manage
The cure for the management disease is a liberal application of servant leadership, which is a nice way of saying the most important thing you can do as a leader is to serve your team, much like a butler or majordomo tends to the health and well-being of a household
