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Discussion on: From Developer to Leader? What Are the Key Skills & Experiences Needed for a Successful Transition?

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jmfayard profile image
Jean-Michel (jmfayard.dev)

This is fun because I asked this exact question to the developer tea podcast

... in 2015.
wow, time flies like an arrow

Jonathan Cutrell who is a great leader taught me among other things that good leaders are not people who know everything.

Great leaders are like Socrates who knows only one thing: that they knows nothing apart from asking great questions

Ask Great Questions: Leadership Skills Of Socrates

And even more importantly Jonathan Cutrell told me that you don't need and you shouldn't wait to have a leader position to lead.

It doesn't matter much that you call yourself "a writer", it matters only that you write books.

It doesn't matter that you have a leader position, don't wait for that to happen, if you feel like it, start leading today.

The episode and the transcript are available here

developertea.com/episodes/1bc6f085...

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freddyhm profile image
Freddy Hidalgo-Monchez • Edited

I find this to be very true. I often end up being a strong advocate for my fellow developers who are less forward in retros, meetings, etc. I had a team lead say once that I reminded him of a quote about being a leader without being THE leader. I was surprised. I just want people to be heard and and level up. It was a very nice compliment.

Your actions speak louder than your title. That's something I believe 100%.