Comments by "" (@redtela) on "Is Tech Lead the WORST Job For Most Programmers?" video.

  1. I'm a "head of / principal" - you speak a lot of truth, my friend. A good lead settles debates between the team. I liken it to a Captain of a ship... you call the big shots, but trust the crew to get on with the day to day. But if you annoy the crew too much, you'll be starring down the wrong end of a mutiny. On the point of levelling up everyone, "a rising tide lifts all ships." On the point of blame/credit - my team know my mantra. If it went wrong, it's my fault. Doesn't even matter if the problem was actually in my team, it's still my fault. If anything goes well, the person that did it gets the credit. As a direct result of that, one of my team got a bonus for passing their appraisal - the bonus was a brand new car. Tech decisions, I tend to go "hey guys, what do you want to use, lets look a the pros & cons together." I'll guide the discussion, but ultimately, the team decides. "When the going gets tough" - we had a problem months ago and it became a crunch... there was a discussion about "who's working the night shift" - the answer was obvious. I can't ask my team to do something I'm not prepared to do myself, first. I always said I didn't want the "HR headache" :( I was asked to step into this position, and so far, my team have had my back when it matters. Probably because I've had theirs BEFORE it mattered. As a result of my attitude, I regularly get threatened with being fired. My response is always "ok, if my best ain't good enough, I'll have another job tomorrow. I'm not worried." - overwhelmingly, in multiple employers, my team have defended me every time. It humbles me every time. Books? Peopleware. Again, and again and again.
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