A 3-Step Tech Lead Playbook: Owning Systems, Elevating Culture, and Driving Impact (with a bit of heart)
Mastering the art of technical leadership beyond just writing code, based on my learnings over 17 years in the industry
Being a tech lead isn’t just about architecting elegant systems or reviewing lines of code—it’s about leaving your mark on the people and processes around you. Over 17 years, I've found that the most memorable tech leads aren’t the ones who just 'got things done,' but the ones who made you feel that you could too.
1. Own Complex Systems Like You Own Your Morning Coffee Routine
Great tech leads don’t wait for someone to assign them the next big challenge. They spot that gnarly part of the codebase that everyone avoids, roll up their sleeves, and make it better. It's like finding that one kitchen drawer full of random cables and finally organizing it. Not glamorous, but immensely satisfying.
Tip: Don’t wait for permission. If you see something broken or unloved, own it. Fix it. Leave it better than you found it.
Example: We had a legacy billing module everyone dreaded. A tech lead I admire dove into it, cleaned it up, and made billing a breeze for the next five years. No fanfare, just quiet impact.
2. Elevate Culture Without the Corporate Buzzwords
Culture isn’t built in all-hands meetings; it’s built in one-on-one code reviews, late-night Slack messages, and the patience to explain something for the third time without making someone feel dumb. Tech leads who elevate culture are the ones who ask, “How can I help?” more often than they say, “That’s not my problem.”
Practical Nudge: Next time you feel frustrated by a teammate’s question, remember that someone once answered yours without rolling their eyes. Be that person.
Story: I once worked with a tech lead who had a simple rule: “No question is stupid if it’s asked in earnest.” That rule turned junior engineers into confident contributors, fast.
3. Drive Impact That Shows Up in Sprint Reviews and Performance Reviews
The best tech leads don’t just ship features; they deliver outcomes. Whether it’s improving performance metrics, reducing on-call pages, or making that one feature your PM can’t stop bragging about, impact matters. But it’s not just about big wins; sometimes it’s that tiny refactor that saved hours of debugging down the line.
Reality Check: You won’t always get applause for your impact. That’s okay. Do it anyway.
Example: A tech lead I admire reduced deployment times by 40% through a few smart CI/CD tweaks. Team noticed immediately, and shipping faster made every engineer’s life better.
In the end, being a tech lead is not always about technical brilliance and more about human brilliance. Own the messy parts, lift your team up, and let your impact speak louder than your commit history.
(P.S. I’d love to hear your tech lead wins (or horror stories) in the comments!)