Every leader has the big goal at the back of their mind, the unseen goal, the one that doesn’t result in releases, bug fixes, accolades, or upgrades. It’s something bigger, something on a grander scale. Make our code better. Respond quickly to customer issues. Gain better code coverage. Ensure all aspects of the suite are covered. These are the goals that push the team forward and result in great releases, bug fixes, accolades, and upgrades.
Coaching an Individual is good, you help that person grow, they get better, they figure out what they should and shouldn’t be doing, they give you feedback and you refine your approach. Rinse and Repeat. But coaching a team? That’s where the magic happens, that’s where you see the strengths of each team member, what they bring to the table, where they excel, and what you can do to help them grow. When the team…
What you coded today will most likely be part of a different library. It might be part of a shelved feature. It’s probably had a few bigs fixed against it. Perhaps there has been some heavy work done on it by a different developer. In short, it would have changed, maybe it’s doing more, maybe it’s doing less, but it’s not what it was when you released it a year ago. So stop worrying about…
Then start. You don’t need a title. You don’t need a promotion. You just need to do it. You lead in what you do, you lead in how you act, and you lead in every step you take. But you start.
Is it getting the release out the door on the date defined? Is it reducing bugs? Is it that the UX is smooth and simple? Is it that no one burned out getting it out? Shipping code is one aspect of a release, it doesn’t mean it’s the most definitive version of success.