Tech Lead Skills for Developers

The speaker works at ThoughtWorks Author of Talking with Tech Leads and The Retrospective Handbook Where can Tech leads go to ask for help? People are really different from computers. A simple test for effective tech lead: Does the codebase look like it was written by a single person? What does a good tech focus on?

Programming
People
Process

Do effective Technical Leaders need to spend time with the code? Mostly pair programming, code-reviews, etc. Opinion: The unspoken truth about managing geeks Consistency over Cleverness Standardized code layout Channel the passion people feel about code layout into solving real business and technical problems. Team Culture:

How long does the build stay broken?
Do people avoid conflict? (teams that avoid conflict are usually not healthy)
Do people offer new ideas?
Do people flag when they need help?
Do people feel ok to admit being wrong? Lead by example!

Strength in Diversity Strengthsfinder Woo = Winning others over The Difference: How the Power of Diversity Creates Better Groups, Firms, Schools, and Societies New Edition Scott E. Page Learning activities:

Brown Bag session
Spike Showcases
Technical Retrospectives
Video/Book Club
Team Code Reviews
Pair Programming

Situational Leadership Model