Working in startup for a while, I sometimes wonder this question:
What makes a good technical leader?
From our current Director of Engineering, I see a few traits:
- Smart: Understand precisely the technical complexity of a feature/product/project
- Communicative: Able to communicate with the business side effectively, and balance business values, deadlines, short term goals, visions, technical debts, etc.
- Lead by example. Brave to take on new responsibilities and be on top of business, products, architecture, timelines, team culture…
- Care: Consistent push for engineering excellence and no compromise
I’m fortunate to observe these traits from a leader nearby, and learned a lot from working with him.
To me the last trait is the most important one, as when a person actually cares something, he/she would work his/her best to get it done, with no compromise. The leader I mentioned has this type of trait.
He mentioned the word “legacy” a few times in our conversation. I didn’t really understand the meaning until he fought about all those seemingly nitty-gritties, including naming variable, writing git commit messages… Everything has to be perfect.
I believe if you see someone who deeply cares, you will be shocked a bit inside, and moved. And then inspired.
One inspiration leads me to asking myself this question lately:
Is this work something I’m proud of? If not, can I do better?
I want to cultivate a sense of care, the urge to deliver quality stuffs with no regret.
