The higher up you go, the less it’s about coding and more about all other skills.
Being the best at coding won’t get you higher on the corporate ladder. Well, the corporate ladder is a trap.
Unfortunately, few places offer growth opportunities for coders, and even fewer for those who don’t want the management track.
Every place has its own expectations for team leaders or managers.
In some places, the team leader role is divided between:
someone technical in charge of coding and architecture decisions, and
someone non-technical in charge of project management.
In other places, a team leader wears all hats, often for the same pay.
Making the jump into a leadership role
If you enjoy coding and are thinking about joining the management track, start by understanding that your role as a team leader is more like a movie director than an actor.
Your job is not to appear on screen, except for some cameos. Your job is to make sure your movie gets done as expected and on time.
For that, you’ll need coding skills. Sure. But much stronger soft skills.
You’ll spend most of your time in meetings, not coding:
Daily meetings with your team,
Daily meetings with all other leaders,
1-on-1s with every team member,
Sync ups with project managers and product people
Once you understand you’re the director, not the best actor, show your interest in exploring the role with your team leader during your 1-on-1s or performance reviews.
Then, find easy and cheap ways to validate if being a team leader is a role you’d enjoy:
Organize and tidy up your project board
Cover your team leader during their vacation
Be the onboarding buddy for new team members
Coordinate efforts to complete a feature from requirements to deployment
That will force you out of your “coding” comfort zone into the soft skill-heavy zone.
As a leader, you’re not responsible for your own code anymore. You’re responsible for all other coders and the code they write.
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Two years ago, I tried to read as many books as possible to show off my huge book count. But I didn’t remember much about those books, even when I took notes.
By pure accident, I discovered my new reading strategy.
Last year, for the first time, I discovered James Altucher.
I found his bankruptcy stories. I followed his idea of becoming an Idea Machine. I read some of his books. I loved his idea of the Daily Practice. And without even realizing it, I was stalking James Altucher online. Quora, Medium, his own website, YouTube… Everywhere.
By immersing myself in his work, I heard extra details about the stories in his books. I learned his book publishing strategy. I learned about the motivation behind some of those books. And I listened to way more anecdotes.
So, from now on, I’m immersing myself in a writer’s world by reading their books and listening to their interviews. It adds more context and depth to my reading experience. Yes, often listening to an interview about a book counts as reading the book itself.
Promoting the best coder to team leader is how projects go sideways.
I’ve seen it happen. One day, an executive pats the best coder’s shoulder three times. And the next day, he’s a team leader. No training. No expectations shared. Just a new title, a team, and lots of meetings.
That new leader continues thinking in terms of lines of code and pull requests, failing to delegate, pass context, and coordinate a team.
The next thing you know, the new team leader burns out and leaves the company. The project? Behind schedule and without a leader.
Being good at coding opens doors for leadership roles. But to shine as a leader, you need stronger soft skills.
You’re not the best player on the team anymore. Now you’re the team coach. You’re not supposed to be the fastest runner or the best at kicking. You’re supposed to manage a team.
Soft skills are way more important than coding because the higher up you climb the ladder, the less it’s about coding and the more about communication, project management, and team dynamics.
With lots of cash but no sense of purpose, he went hiking, broke up with his girlfriend, went to the Himalayas, tried getting to Washington, and on and on. All in an effort to find a sense of meaning.
While I haven’t had an exit yet, I found myself going through something a similar situation.
I had my sense of value attached to my job. “Software Engineer.” For some time, that was everything I was and did… until I lost my job after a layoff.
All of a sudden I didn’t have the title. I wasn’t doing any coding. And I didn’t want to do any more of it. I felt trapped in a label I decided to accept on my own. “Coder” and “Software Engineer.”
I realized that, above all job titles, I’m a learner. Software engineering? It was just a stint of that.
If you’re in a similar situation,
Understand you’re not your job. You’re not a title. You are way more than that.
Find new hobbies outside work. Learn new skills just for fun. Read books from different fields. Practice a physical activity. Do something with your hands, away from screens.
Remember, your purpose and joy shouldn’t come from just one place. Don’t wait until you feel lost. Start today. Diversify your sources of purpose and joy.
I’m not a quote addict. And I don’t collect quotes for a living either.
These weren’t intended to be quotes. But they’re pieces of wisdom I noticed and wrote down when consuming content as part of my daily procrastination. Sorry, I meant catching up.
From James Altucher—Writer, entrepreneur, and investor
Last year, I stalked James Altucher. I read his books and watched his interviews. I found his story and writings raw and inspiring.
Money is a by-product of personal development
Money is only one part of an abundant life.
And your life is abundant when your physical, mental, spiritual, and emotional bodies are healthy. You’re abundant when you move your body, do something creative, share ideas, and live free of negativity every single day.
Little things show how people really are
It’s not the speeches, interviews, and business presentations. It’s how you treat a waitress, your coworkers, or the janitor.
Don’t do things you hate at the expense of things you love
It was when I tried to convince myself of showing up to work just for money that I got burned out. I tried to convince myself to take that money to build a runway for my side hustle. I was so wrong!
Have multiple sources of joy
When things go sideways in one area, you can jump to another and still find joy and meaning. Diversify your joy the same way you should diversify your income sources.
Taylor Cavanaugh—ex-SEAL and life coach
Anything you do starts with self-development
This one comes from a Navy SEAL turned into a French Legionnaire. The media has created this glorified image of SEALs like indestructible and focused men.
But this isn’t the case. Taylor’s life was a disaster. All his bad decisions led him to escape to another country.
After overcoming his messy life, now he’s a life coach. And that quote summarizes his journey through recovery. It all starts in your mind with your beliefs.
Seth Godin—Entrepreneur and writer
Big problems demand small solutions
You don’t go to bed and wake up with a dream life. It requires effort and consistency. And it starts with the desire to change and small simple steps in the long run.
Dan Koe—Writer
The goal is getting paid by being you
You don’t need to close your eyes and try hard to come up with a niche. You’re the niche. Your interests, vision, and goals make you the niche.
Make the content you want to see in the world
The internet isn’t saturated. Sure, it’s getting flooded with more AI-generated content every day. But we’re craving more genuine and human content. Create that.
Jim Kwik—Brain coach
A confused mind accomplishes nothing
In 2023, I burned out. It took me months to get back on track. I was so deeply rooted in my frustration and resentment that I couldn’t see a way out. It was only when I started to work on my health and change my internal voice that I found a way out.
Reading is the best exercise for your brain
Reading is the closest we are to plugging ourselves into a computer and downloading decades of information to our brains in seconds. Reading is the Neo’s “I know Kung fu” from The Matrix.
Ok, I said I’m not a quote collector. But I have to confess I have one or two quotes beautifully framed around my desk. Whether you hang quotes on your wall or not, what truly matters is turning that inspiration into beliefs, actions, and habits.
