There are good and bad reasons to want to be a leader, so it's important to choose the right ones before making the transition.
Meet Shawn. Shawn is a software engineer considering a leadership role in the future. Shawn loves writing software, but they're noticing a few peers transitioning to a Tech Lead or Engineering Manager role. Should they too? Shawn is unsure about what would change, or even if they'd be good at it.
You might be considering stepping onto the leadership path, but like Shawn, you may be unsure about whether you should or not. In this article, we'll explore some good reasons to step into a leadership role and a few not-so-good ones.
Good reasons to seek a leadership role
Those who seek a leadership role for the right reasons will have greater success. They'll see new and challenging tasks as an opportunity to learn, rather than a chore that needs doing. They'll invest more effort in doing an outstanding job rather than coasting on the bare minimum, and they'll be curious to constantly improve rather than pretend they are a master of every leadership skill.
Here are five good reasons to seek a leadership role:
1. Desire to have more impact
As an individual contributor, you have a limited impact. There is only so much time you have and only so much you can do in that time. Your skills and strengths constrain what you are able to do with that time, and you will be better at some activities than others.
As a leader, you have a broader impact because you have more than you: you also have your team, and a high-performing team achieves much more than a single individual can. A team has more time to do work in parallel and benefits from the broader team’s skill set and experiences; where one team member has a gap, another can step in and fill it.
If you seek a leadership role to have more impact, you'll focus less on what you do as an individual. You recognize it's more about what the team can do and how the team works together that matters, and with this attitude you will build high-performing teams and lead effectively.
2. An opportunity to build different skills
Leaders draw upon very different skills than individual contributors. The skills you built as a developer will help you write clean, concise, and well-tested code but these skills won't help you navigate difficult conversations. Nor will they prepare you to give effective feedback or influence other stakeholders.
When you recognize you need to invest in different skills, you'll grow much faster as a leader and you'll even enjoy it because it will be an opportunity to develop in different ways. You'll have the opportunity to learn and practice leadership skills such as active listening, coaching, mentoring, and influencing. As you focus on developing these skills, you'll feel like you grow much more as a person and into a more capable leader.
3. Interest in watching others grow
Some leaders I know started out because they wanted to positively influence others. They saw that when team members grow, their team's impact also grows. They also realized with the support of a great leader people can grow much faster.
When you have an interest in watching others grow, you'll find optimal ways to make it happen and stretch opportunities for team members. These opportunities give team members a chance to try something new but with a safety net. If the team member succeeds they grow and the team benefits from the outcome and their experience, but if a team member fails with this safety net in place, they have a chance to learn and try again.
Leaders who invest in their team members' growth will long be remembered by not only those who benefitted from the team's outputs, but also by the team members who grew.
4. Desire to improve the environment
Some people seek a leadership role because they have ideas to improve the work environment and that's a great leadership habit to have. As Grace Hopper once said, “You manage things and lead people.” In software teams, “managing things” means leaders constantly improve the environment for their team.
Team members are so focused on work, they often don't have time to improve the environment. Good leaders focus on this instead, knowing it’s where they can have leverage. Imagine a team that waits for three or four signatures from external stakeholders to approve work items. Now imagine a leader who agreed with these stakeholders on a streamlined process involving only one person, resulting in the team being able to achieve much more.
Work environments can either empower or constrain how teams work. Leaders who want to improve the environment don't wait for their team to complain but rather proactively search for improvements. These improvements translate into better team morale, better outcomes, and a much more effective team.
5. Act as a role model
Ever hear the saying, “Do as I say, not as I do”? Here's a common example: a leader asks their team to join meetings on time, but they themselves are often late. We call this incongruent behavior and it demonstrates ineffective leadership.
Effective leaders know that what they say and what they do matters. Congruent behavior sends a consistent message to the team about what is important. If you want to be a role model, focus on congruent behavior and you'll do a much better job than those who don't. As the other old saying goes, "Actions speak louder than words."
6. Wish to influence direction
Many individual contributors often feel powerless because they believe leaders and managers set the organization’s direction and team goals.
One benefit of respected leaders is that they are often the first to have a “seat at the table” when important decisions about team, department, or organizational goals are being made. This extends to any significant org changes. While having a “seat at the table” doesn’t automatically mean you get to make the final decision, your early input can significantly influence the final outcome – often enough to nudge an outcome in a desirable direction.
7. Thirst for more challenging problems
The challenges and tasks that individual contributors face are typically well-defined or limited in complexity. Many software teams have processes that analyze work, estimate it, and prioritize it before an individual contributor starts to work on it. Work items usually come with assumptions, acceptance criteria, and a clear definition of done. Leaders, however, must handle more ambiguity.
Fortunately, having larger, more ambiguous problems can be extremely satisfying to resolve due to their complexity. For example, a VP of engineering might be tasked with reducing attrition rates, while a principal engineer must minimize the rate of product incidents. Both of these mandates will have approximated success criteria. These complex issues involve people, processes, and technical elements, often without obvious solutions. But resolution can be even more satisfying as it shows trust in your capabilities and provides a sense of achievement in completing something that wasn’t straightforward.
Reasons not to seek a leadership role
When someone seeks a leadership role for the following reasons, they are setting themselves and their team up for failure. At best, they will become a mediocre leader, and a mediocre leader produces a mediocre team.
1. Do it for the money
Some people see leadership roles as the only way to make more money. The logic appears sound. A leadership role has more responsibility, therefore the role should make more money, and who doesn't want more money?
When people seek a leadership role for money, they forget it also comes with accountability. This means that it's not enough to have the title. They must also fulfill the additional responsibilities. When money is the motivator the leader will do the bare minimum necessary, and great leaders don't settle for the bare minimum.
2. Do it for the power
I've heard some engineers say, "When I'm the boss, I can finally have it my way." A person with this attitude wants to avoid conflict. They don't want to "waste" time on debates and want to decide on the final outcome. While this may sound ideal as an individual contributor, they're in for a surprise. A leader who always gets their way will never make a great leader as they are exercising control over their team.
A leader controlling their team loses out on the benefits teams bring to the table. When team members don't contribute to building solutions they won't feel committed to the solution. Team members who propose alternative approaches will eventually stop suggesting new ideas if they are constantly ignored or overruled. These team members will eventually find a team who welcomes their ideas and this will most likely be in a different company. Those who stay will never propose improvements and they will never go out of their way to support others who make mistakes. In short, a controlling leader never builds a high-performing team.
3. Do it for the fame
Some people seek a leadership role so they can always be in the limelight and they want the opportunity to network with people across the organization. These types of leaders want to claim their team's successes as their own.
High-performance teams rely on trust and when a leader takes all the glory, they fail to build trust with their team. A greater leader is team-oriented and wants to share the credit, and when they do they earn the admiration and most importantly the trust of team members which is necessary for a leader to be effective.
4. Do it because of your peers
I’ve seen some people step into leadership roles because they have the feeling of “being left behind” as they see some of their peers step up into leadership or management. While it’s perfectly normal (and human) to feel peer pressure, it’s important to reflect on whether these roles are suitable foryou.
Striving hard to keep up with peers might be driven by cultural or personal competitiveness, but it often results in resentment. Fast-forward several years, and you might feel like you’re doing a job you never wanted to do or enjoyed, which won’t translate into great leadership.
5. Do it to avoid your current role
I’ve seen a handful of people seek leadership roles to avoid doing the detailed work. While it’s good they know their preferences, avoiding complex work altogether makes it difficult for them to evaluate what good or bad quality looks like in their area down the line.
Individual contributors in software teams often want their managers to be technical. They do not expect their manager to tell them what to do; rather someone who can identify their challenges, understand the terminology, and provide them with guidance. If you’re seeking a leadership role to escape being an individual contributor, you’ll struggle to lead well.
6. Do it for pride
Call it fame. Or call it glory. For some people, a leadership title is important. But a leadership title doesn’t automatically guarantee respect. I can think of countless examples of leaders brandishing their titles around in heavy-handed ways. Micromanaging is a common trap and can lead to reports doing what they think is best despite directives or rigid compliance without going beyond the instructions.
Effective leaders know that wielding your title should be reserved for critical moments and not for everyday work.
Look deeply to understand your real reasons
Before seeking out a leadership role Shawn asks a friend for advice. "Do you think I'd make a good leader?" Shawn asks. Their friend replies, "Why do you want to become a leader?" It's a good question that makes Shawn think. After some time, Shawn answers, "I want to be a leader because I want to work on the best team I can. I realise I can make that happen by taking a leadership role."
Your reason for becoming a leader is the difference between becoming a great or a mediocre leader. Before you seek a leadership role, look deeply inside yourself like Shawn. Ask yourself, "What are your true motivations for seeking a leadership role?" If the motivations are one of the right reasons, then you can grow to be the best leader you can be and your team will benefit.
