5 Steps to Becoming a Team Lead—Faster

As a senior developer, you are used to solving complex problems yourself. But as a team leader, your job isn’t to be the best developer—it’s to help your team deliver their best work.

• Resist the urge to solve everything yourself. If a teammate is struggling, don’t jump in and take over. Instead, guide them to the solution. Ask questions like: “What do you think the next step is?” or “Have you considered X approach?”
• Optimize for team output, not personal contribution. If you measure your success by how many lines of code you write, you’re thinking like a developer. Instead, focus on team efficiency: Are roadblocks being cleared? Is the team productive and engaged?
• Encourage knowledge sharing. Make sure that expertise is spread across the team. This prevents bottlenecks and empowers your team to be self-sufficient.

Technical expertise alone won’t make you a great leader. Your ability to communicate effectively will set you apart.

• Be clear and concise. As a leader, you’ll need to convey complex ideas in a way that everyone understands—whether you’re talking to engineers, designers, or executives.
• Develop active listening skills. Instead of immediately offering solutions, ask clarifying questions and ensure you fully understand your team’s challenges.
• Manage up. Keep your manager and stakeholders informed without overwhelming them with technical details. Summarize issues in a way that highlights risks and possible solutions.

As a team leader, you will be responsible for making decisions that affect the entire team.

• Be decisive. It’s better to make a well-reasoned decision quickly than to delay progress with endless deliberation.
• Balance technical debt and speed. Sometimes, shipping quickly is the priority. Other times, investing in long-term maintainability is smarter. Learn when to make trade-offs.
• Get input, but don’t seek consensus on everything. Involve your team in discussions, but as a leader, you need to make the final call when necessary.

You can’t lead if people don’t trust you. Your influence comes from the way you support your team, not from a title.

• Give credit generously. When something goes well, highlight the contributions of others. This builds goodwill and encourages a culture of recognition.
• Handle conflicts with maturity. Disagreements will happen. Your job isn’t to avoid conflict, but to resolve it constructively.
• Be consistent. Trust is built over time. If you say you’ll do something, follow through.

Senior developers focus on writing great code. Leaders focus on delivering great products.

• Own outcomes, not just tasks. Don’t just complete tickets—understand the business impact behind them.
• Anticipate problems before they escalate. If you see dependencies that might delay a project, address them early.
• Think in systems. Leaders understand how different parts of the organization interact. Get to know stakeholders beyond engineering—like product managers and designers.

Becoming a team leader isn’t about getting a promotion—it’s about adopting a leadership mindset before you even have the title.

Here’s what you need to focus on:

By focusing on these areas, you’ll become the natural choice when a leadership opportunity arises.

Which step is the most challenging for you?

Cheers,
Gábor