Book: SE@Google Ch 5: How To Lead a Team

[seanlowjk]

Book: Software Engineering at Google
Chapter: 5 - How to Lead a Team

Summary:

• It is important to differentiate being an Engineer Manager and a Tech Lead, which have different and important responsibilities
• Servant Leadership is a key aspect of being a leader. One should aim to create an environment where colleagues trust and respect each other.
• Building a safe space for people to take risks and learn from their failures is important. If one succeeds, reward them in front of the team. If one fails, give constructive advice on a one-to-one basis.
• There are several anti-patterns to being a leader which can be destructive:
  • Hiring Pushovers and cause tasks to fall behind.
  • Ignoring Low Performers can prevent new people from coming in and cause bad atmosphere within a team
  • Ignoring Human Issues causes further strains in peer-to-peer relationships.
  • Being everyone's friend is impossible and can be a recipe for disaster
  • Treating everyone like children will definitely cause loss of trust and self-initiative.
• Thus, it is important to avoid these anti-patterns and aim to build a strong safe space for leaning, collaboration, honesty and happiness via:
  • Setting Clear Goals, Being a Catalyst instead of being a micromanager and being a teacher and a mentor