'FEAR & LOATHING OF TEAM LEADERSHIP' by MYKHAILO SOBKO at OdessaJS'2020

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Mikhail Sobko, an engineering manager, discusses the fears and challenges of becoming a team lead. He outlines where team leads come from and the gap between expectations and reality. Some common fears for prospective team leads include lack of technical skills, soft skills, and uncertainty. Sobko provides advice on how to address fears, set boundaries, admit mistakes, and collect feedback to grow into an effective team lead. He emphasizes developing team members and using different motivation strategies rather than relying only on technical skills when leading a team.

Technology

Date:Aug,2020
Presenter: Mikhail Sobko, Engineering manager
Fear & Loathing
of Team Leadership

About me
Mikhail Sobko
Engineering manager at Astound Commerce
● Web developer -> TL -> Engineering
manager
● Resource management: 200+ engineers
● People management: 50+ distributed
web developers

1. Grow technically
2. Develop soft skills
3. Get past your fears

Where do team leads
come from?
● they are hired from the market
● they are grown inside the company
● they are “promoted” :)

What can be scary for a future Team Lead?

technical degradation lack of hard skills
lack of soft skills relationship building
What can be scary for a future Team Lead?

levelofenglish
com
m
unication
fearto
fuckup
a
project
fearofuncertainty
lack
ofcoaching
skills
lack
ofsoftskills
directcom
m
unication
w
ith
business
technical degradation lack of hard skills
lack of soft skills relationship building
What can be scary for a future Team Lead?

levelofenglish
com
m
unication
fearto
fuckup
a
project
fearofuncertainty
directcom
m
unication
w
ith
business
lack
ofcoaching
skills
lack
ofsoftskills
fearofuncertainty
lack
ofcoaching
skills
relationship
building
lack
of soft skillslack
ofsoftskills
lack
ofsoftskills
relationship
building
relationship
building
relationship
building
relationship
building
directcom
m
unication
w
ith
business
directcom
m
unication
w
ith
business
technical degradation lack of hard skills
lack of soft skills relationship building
What can be scary for a future Team Lead?

● if you want to code - just do it*
● technical superiority - that’s not the only way
How to act?

Kübler-Ross model adaptation
DENIAL ACCEPTANCE
INVESTIGATIONOPPOSITION
PERFORMANCE
TIME
OK

How to act?
● do not try to ignore the elephant in the room
● set your boundaries and be consistent
● joke vs joke
● admit mistakes
● collect feedback
● wait, wait, wait

How to act?
● same as for “Posoni ne poimut”
● to ﬁnd common ground
● don't play in a “Big Boss” game

“The whole problem with the world is
that fools and fanatics are always so
certain of themselves,
and wiser people so full of doubts”
Bertrand Russell

How to act?
● ﬁnd a mentor
● adjust the attitude to success
● become a part of the community
● give targeted detailed feedback

“If your people
are not growing,
you are a bad Team Lead”

“Motivation is like
ice cream – it comes
in more than one ﬂavour”

“Stand up straight
with your shoulders back”

/mikhail.sobko
@soMix
/mikhail_sobko
Thank
you!

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by Jurgen Appelo"

7 levels of delegation
In the book ”Managing for Happiness” (2016)
Jurgen Appelo identiﬁes 7 levels of delegation:
1. Tell
2. Sell
3. Consult
4. Agree
5. Advise
6. Inquire
7. Delegate

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'FEAR & LOATHING OF TEAM LEADERSHIP' by MYKHAILO SOBKO at OdessaJS'2020