When you go from developer to leader, everything changes.
Not all at once, but enough to throw you off balance.
You stop measuring your day in lines of code or pull requests. Instead, you start thinking about team output, strategy, morale, hiring, retention, and performance. You have less time for the craft you spent years perfecting and more time in 1:1s, planning meetings, and stakeholder calls.
It’s disorienting. Especially for people who loved the solitude and certainty of building.
This post reveals a breakdown of what changes, why it matters, and how to lead without burning out, bottlenecking your team, or doubting yourself to the point of paralysis.
What no one tells you about being a tech lead
There’s a lot written about leadership frameworks, org charts, and performance reviews. But the real, gritty stuff is the kind that hits you on a random Wednesday when you’re staring at your calendar full of meetings and wondering if you’re even doing your job right.
That part doesn’t get talked about enough. So let’s put it on the table.
1. You won’t always know what you’re doing
There’s no clear checklist like there is in engineering. You’ll have to make judgment calls with limited information. Sometimes you’ll get it wrong. That’s part of the job.
The good news? The longer you’re in it, the more comfortable you get with the ambiguity.
2. You’ll miss coding more than you expected
Even if you thought you were ready. Even if you wanted the leadership role. That deep work, that sense of flow, it’s hard to replace. And sometimes, watching someone else write code while you sit in back-to-back meetings stings a little.
That doesn’t mean you made the wrong move. It just means you’re in a different phase.
3. You’ll have to say “no” a lot
To good ideas. To things you’d personally love to build. To projects that don’t align with the bigger picture. And the hardest part? Sometimes you’ll say no to your own team, and they won’t agree with you.
You’re not the fun police—you’re the person trying to protect focus. That takes guts.
4. People will interpret how you say things
You might say something offhand in a meeting and not think twice. Meanwhile, someone on your team is now wondering if you’re upset with them. When you lead, your words carry weight—even when you don’t mean them to.
Learning to be intentional with how you communicate isn’t optional. It’s essential.
5. You’ll start measuring progress differently
It’s no longer about how many lines of code you wrote or how clever your solution was. It’s about team velocity, clarity, trust, outcomes. And honestly, that can feel invisible.
But those “invisible” wins? They’re what makes teams actually work.
How to build the new skillset (without losing yourself)
When you shift into a leadership role, it can feel like you’ve been handed a job you weren’t trained for. Suddenly, it’s not enough to just be good at what you do, you also have to help others be great at what they do. And no one hands you a manual for that — no matter how many leadership books you’ve read.
But the thing is, you’re not starting from zero. The core skills you’ve built as an engineer—clarity, logic, problem-solving—are still useful. You just need to apply them in new ways. Let’s break down what you’ll need to get good at, and how it connects to the mindset you already have.
1. Communication (your new debugging tool)
As an IC, your communication was mostly in code and comments. Now, it’s in meetings, 1:1s, Slack threads, and project updates. You’re not just solving problems—you’re translating complexity, setting expectations, and reading between the lines.
What helps:
- Say things clearly and early. Don’t wait until it’s a fire.
- Ask questions that go beyond blockers. “What’s on your mind?” opens up more than “Is everything on track?”
- Listen more than you talk. (Yes, really.)
Think of it like debugging team dynamics instead of software—you’re still tracing inputs and outputs, just with people.
2. Delegation (like writing clean APIs)
You might feel tempted to jump in and fix things yourself. Resist it. Delegation isn’t giving up control—it’s creating clarity. Just like a good API, your job is to define the interface, the responsibilities, and the expected outcome.
What helps:
- Be clear on what success looks like
- Let go of the how, but stay available for support
- Follow up without micromanaging
If you do it well, your team won’t need you in the weeds. That’s a good thing.
3. Coaching (not solving)
This one’s tough, especially if you’re used to being the person with the answers. But leadership means helping others find their own path. You’re not a help desk. You’re a guide — like detailed developer docs.
What helps:
- Shift from “Here’s what I’d do” to “What options do you see?”
- Share your thought process, not just the solution
- Give feedback early, often, and kindly
It’s slower, yes. But it builds people up instead of keeping them dependent on you.
4. Seeing the bigger picture (and connecting the dots)
As an IC, your world was often scoped—ticket, sprint, service. Now, it’s roadmap, resourcing, cross-team collaboration. You’re connecting dots others might not even see.
What helps:
- Zoom out regularly: What’s the impact of this work? Who needs to know?
- Translate between layers—engineering, product, leadership
- Ask “Why now?” more often
You don’t need to have all the answers. But you do need to be the person asking the right questions.
How to know you’re doing it right
When you were an IC, progress was clear. You shipped features. Closed tickets. Solved bugs. People told you “nice work.”
As a lead, the feedback loop gets fuzzier. You might go weeks—or months—without hearing if you’re doing a good job. And when things go smoothly, no one notices. (Which, ironically, probably means you’re doing something right.)
So how do you know if you’re on the right track?
Take a look at these signs. They’re subtle. But they matter.
Your team asks more questions
It means they feel safe to speak up. They’re thinking critically. They trust that they won’t get shut down for being unsure.
People take ownership without waiting for permission
You stop being the bottleneck. Your team starts making calls, unblocking themselves, and pushing things forward. That’s leadership at work, even if your name’s not on the code.
Projects don’t fall apart when you’re out
If you can take a week off and things keep moving, that’s a huge win. You’ve built systems, clarity, and trust. You’re not just running things, you’ve made yourself less essential.
Someone tells you what you used to tell your old lead
Maybe it’s in a 1:1. Maybe it’s a Slack message. But someone says, “Hey, I appreciated how you handled that,” or “That really helped.” You’ll remember it for a long time.
Leadership isn’t about being the smartest person in the room. It’s about helping other people do their best work, and creating the kind of space where they want to.
Even if no one says it out loud, that impact leaves a mark.
Final thoughts: You can’t scale if you stay the hero
Leadership isn’t just about knowing what to do, it’s learning in public, making space for others, and staying steady through uncertainty. You don’t get the same quick feedback or neat metrics. But the impact runs deeper: a stronger team, clearer direction, better outcomes over time.
And leaders who grow fastest don’t just lead well, they think clearly, and they share what they’re learning.
At Column, we help thoughtful leaders turn those ideas into content that’s sharp, honest, and worth reading—from strategy and messaging to writing and editorial direction. If you’re navigating this shift and want your voice to grow with you, get in touch today.
Johnson is a Copywriter at Column, helping brands tell their stories with clear, impactful content. Connect with him on LinkedIn.
