this post was submitted on 06 Jul 2023
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I got promoted to tech lead. Now what? (programming.dev)
submitted 1 year ago by kris@programming.dev to c/experienced_devs@programming.dev
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Now have direct reports under me. No idea wtf I'm doing, I guess I did a good job? Any advice you have for me?

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[–] Angry_Maple@sh.itjust.works 1 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Oof, I hear you on that.

It's like trying to do customer service 24/7 while on the clock from all angles.

Then you have the stuff that people tell you but don't want you to do anything about. You have to follow that (when reasonable) to keep your team's trust in you. I want to make sure that they feel safe coming forwards if they have a problem. I want to be the team lead that I wished I had when I started working.

Many people heavily avoid a few of our supervisors over poor tact and empathy. A guy had to go to the hospital one day for a broken hand that happened at work. His supervisor insisted that he brought in a doctors note the same day. He understandably quit. I couldn't begin to list the number of HR complaints that this supervisor has had against them. Nothing skeevy, luckily, the person is just very unlikable and short tempered. People in other departments avoid this supervisor like the plague. Some will literally physically try to hide behind stuff when this supervisor walks in so they don't have to worry about talking to them. No, I don't know why this supervisor is still there.

I'm lucky in the sense that I'm good at calming most situations and figuring stuff out. It kind of feels like my job believes that they need me to stay there for that.

I am one of the few people who is good at dealing with that particular supervisor, which is kind of ironic because I totally laughed in their face for raging at me over a dumb thing that someone else did.