Leadership and Staying Hands-On
In my leadership roles a frequently asked question of me was "why are you still on the tools?".
I can't tell you the number of times I was told to stop and leave it to the team by whatever manager I had at the time. Of course, I ignored those instructions and carried on learning and using new tools.
I never sought out management positions. I was asked to move into one earlier in my career and rejected it, preferring to stay hands on. As a senior engineer I had reached the ceiling in engineering and was planning to move to a technical support team in the same company. The director of engineering was not pleased, not at all. My speciality in resolving complex faults was something he was not prepared to lose. The timing though couldn't have been better as a new principal engineering role was about to opened and I among a handful of others were selected to attend a 3-day intensive evaluation not only of our technical skills but also our approach, how we thought through and resolved issues and how we could manage teams. At the end of each day only a handful moved to the next round. Until there was one. My precious.
Why am I sharing this with you?
If you are a leader and want to stay hands on, you can. If it is something that gets you excited and out of bed in the morning, then do both. For me they complimented each other, sometimes in unexpected ways.
Reflecting on what my teams in the past have accomplished, through leading by doing, having the ability to fully understand and review technical solutions and provide meaningful feedback and direction made a big difference not just to the quality of the solution but the cohesiveness of the team. We were closer because of it, they knew they were not alone and that made a difference.
At 2am I would be with them diagnosing and solving whatever issue presented itself, together. No matter how long it took to resolve. Or little things, like cleaning up the store room or vacuuming the floor (I do love Dyson's).
Because I enjoyed it. Because it gave me purpose. Just like it still does today.
Ignore the haters, you do you. I always do.
It is good to have an end to journey toward; but it is the journey that matters, in the end.
Read more: Andy the Muppit