I have been a team leader for three years. We were only 4 in the Dev Area and we are fifteen now. The Area is split into 3 groups. Each of them has their own identity, mood, and skills. They have their own projects and methodologies. They barely share a project. However, the idea I proposed when I became the director of software development is still in progress. It is closer than before, but I know I have more work to do yet.
I became a team leader in 2021. I was SR developer, but I was also junior: It was my first experience being an engineer manager. We were only a few developers, but the idea was to grow within the company. My plan was to hire Junior Developers, to train them and to help them grow within the area. Then, I would divide the group into small groups, each of them with their own team leader as well.
The plan didn’t work as I expected. I had to fix some issues, and they made me learn many things. I think I am a better leader, and a better person now.

If you want to reach the sky, you need a solid cement base to stand on.

Junior developers

It was a real pleasure to hire junior developers. It was the first coding experience for most of them. At the beginning (2021, 2022), I met many people who used to work in different fields, such as Psychology, Nurses, Customer service, construction, or education. The pandemic made them think about their lives and pushed them to change and step out of their comfort zone.
I became myself a developer when I was 30 years old. Therefore, I could understand them well.
Of course, there were also a few young fellows who had gone out of high school and were their first job at all. But they loved coding and shared the same energy too.

It was nice working with juniors while we were a few, and I had time to work with them. However, we were moving so fast.
The first year was perfect. We were a small group. I had plenty of time to train them: code reviewing, small courses, and inner small tasks to practice new technologies.
That year we got new projects, new clients and moved forward with this junior team without any problem.

The second year, the team grew even more. The problems began because we were 11 developers and too many projects to lead. I was happier than ever because we were the biggest group in the agency, and I wanted more. I forgot about that strong base and splitting the group into small groups. I was always multitasking and started to be a very bad leader. Especially because they were juniors, it was their first coding experience, and they needed my help.

Intel’s ex CEO said that you couldn’t manage more than 8 people directly. Amazon’s CEO thinks the same. Now, I agree with them. I couldn’t work well with all of them at the same time.
However, I couldn’t split the area into small groups either, because none of them were prepared to be a team leader yet. I needed to wait.

I don’t regret about hiring juniors; my mistake was hiring ALL JUNIORS. I know now, you always need balance in a team. I should have hired a few seniors or -at least- Semi senior to help me; and then, moved forward.
Nowadays, I finally split the area. We are divided into 3 groups. One of them has its own team leader, and I am looking for a new one for the other group. We are still growing, but I paused new job searches until we will find this new team leader.

Performance evaluations

To give feedback is one of the most important and difficult tasks any leader must do. In addition to that, a performance evaluation must be in line with the company’s policies and culture. So, it’s even harder. Because it is not just feedback you give to a friend or a colleague. There are bonuses, goals, policies and more to consider. In the agency the evaluations are divided into two sections. The first part has three objectives; and the second part has numeric ratings which it is between 1 to 5. If you get more than 3,6 you will receive a bonus. We give them every three months (a quarter).

In my first year I didn’t know how to do it. So, I made a list with skills developers must have, and I gave the team online courses (Platzy, Udemy, Ed.Team) to take as SMART objectives. For example: CSS, Accessibility, SEO, ReactJS, NodeJS, Python, Progressive Web Apps, React Native, etc. Besides, I thought about two or three small tools to do for the company and asked them if they wanted to do for practicing.
For the rates, I was always giving high notes because I thought that will motivate all of them. When someone had an average performance, I tried to give some advice so they could improve but the point was still high.

The team had a great performance. However, I learnt that if you gave all high notes, you are selfish with the ones who are doing harder. Because, you will always have them all in a team: the best, the worst and the average. Therefore, as a leader, you must give the best point to the best and motivate the others to be the best version of themselves. Then, if you notice they are really trying hard, you can raise the note.

You can’t start with the highest notes, because you will not be able to raise them in the future. Therefore, after 2 or 3 evaluations people will be unmotivated because they won’t be able to grow anymore. And if you realized that and you wanted to lower the grade the feel frustrated because they didn’t change the way they worked and they don’t understand why the point is lower.

Establishing a culture

I used to think in a leader as a teacher. Now I know it is not. A teacher must teach, a leader must inspire. It is a huge difference and still a small one. A teacher could be a leader as well of course, but it is not the same role. This inspiration that you may feel in a team, or a company is the culture.
I don’t think I am doing well; stablishing a culture is difficult.
At the beginning, I had a feeling that everybody wants to work with me. I do not have the same feeling now. I think I missed somewhere. I must focus on that from now on.

Keep walking

In the last three years I have learnt many skills, but I do know I need to keep practicing. Being a leader is a day-by-day job. I know I still need to remain silent and to listen more. I must answer question more instead of giving answers. I must develop more communication skills, sales, marketing and business knowledge. I believe that I have matured and I am not a teenager anymore -working-meaning-. However, I am still walking through the most difficult part: Living as an adult. You are not young and people expect more from you, but you don’t have experience enough yet. I must keep walking. Luckily, I have plenty of time. :D