I started writing software in 1984. Over the years I worked with many languages, technologies, and tools. I have been in leadership positions since the early 2000s, and in executive roles since 2014.
I think you are experiencing an example of poor leadership.
A tech lead is not supposed to be a gatekeeper. A tech lead should be helping the team take the right direction, and then get out of their way and let them create awesome things. He or she is not there to say "yes" or "no."
The first responsibility of tech leadership is to define reality, be there to answer questions, and to help developers make progress on an aligned path and technical vision. The last is to say "thank you."
Used to do DevOps before they even called it that way: Linux. Python. Perl. Java. Docker. For fun and profit. CTO level generalist working for a mid-sized tech-centric company.
Dresden, Germany
Agree. Challenging thing, however, is making the transition to a leader/coach role while coming from a mere understanding that a team leader is sort of a "boss" telling the team what to do. This can be tough for the team / tech leader herself as not only she needs to get along well with the team but also with the rest of the organization to make everyone know and agree upon what her role is all about. Some organizations need quite some time to adapt to the idea that a team makes "responsible team decisions" while the tech lead just defines the playground or the overall path to go. ;)
I think you are experiencing an example of poor leadership.
A tech lead is not supposed to be a gatekeeper. A tech lead should be helping the team take the right direction, and then get out of their way and let them create awesome things. He or she is not there to say "yes" or "no."
The first responsibility of tech leadership is to define reality, be there to answer questions, and to help developers make progress on an aligned path and technical vision. The last is to say "thank you."
Agree. Challenging thing, however, is making the transition to a leader/coach role while coming from a mere understanding that a team leader is sort of a "boss" telling the team what to do. This can be tough for the team / tech leader herself as not only she needs to get along well with the team but also with the rest of the organization to make everyone know and agree upon what her role is all about. Some organizations need quite some time to adapt to the idea that a team makes "responsible team decisions" while the tech lead just defines the playground or the overall path to go. ;)
I agree. I've been fortunate enough to not experience this pitfall on the teams I've been on, but I've seen it on others and heard of it from others.
I like the responsibilities you defined here. The tech lead is to have the vision and guide the team to making really align with that vision.