Thisarticlewas originally published on .cult byYasas Sri Wickramasinghe..cultis a Berlin-based community platform for developers.
As you know, being a tech lead is much more than defining the technical aspects of a project.
Its a problem that can substantially impact a teams productivity.
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Why do great people suddenly leave software teams?
You may have already noticed that the most extraordinary members of your team are all-rounders in their work.
They also have great passion and commitment.
Great team players consider their workplace as their second home and treat their team as part of their family.
These types ofdevelopersare the ones you count on when things are not quite going the right way.
However, as youve probably witnessed, these A-players often decide to leave the team on short notice.
Most of the time, they dont even reveal the reason for their resignation.
Well, A-players also need (and want) mentorship and guidance.
But you might set too many expectations for success.
This can lead to stress and burnout.
The key is finding the right balance and rewarding great work.
Every team member has their owncareergoals and expectations.
A-players in particular know they can excel and uplift a project anywhere they land.
Therefore, they directly or indirectly expect a return from their current leaders.
It can be a promotion, salary increase, or recognition for their efforts.
Just because theyre great at what they do doesnt mean they should do ALL of the work.
If you dont protect this team youll soon lose them in the short term.
Find a time to sit with your team members and listen to them
Remember your first days at work?
How many doubts you had?
How many expectations you had for your future career?
attempt to understand your subordinates perspective.
Just being a good and active listener can do wonders for team morale and health.
Everyone tends to feel a bit better after unloading.
I wouldnt recommend a group discussion, instead take each member for a casual one-on-one and LISTEN.
Youll learn a lot about your team this way, things that you would have otherwise never known.
They know every bit and piece of the code and all the pitfalls of the current implementation.
Instead, arrange knowledge transferring activities to disseminate their expertise among other members.
It pays well to remind the team every so often, cause we all eventually lose sight.
With short notice resignations, youll be scrambling to fill the position.
This is hard because hiring the wrong person is a highly costly mistake.
You have to spend a lot of your and other team members time to transfer domain knowledge to newcomers.
Also, newcomers will take a considerable amount of time to get up to speed.
My suggestion is never to proceed with quick recruitments, but plan ahead and follow a recruitment plan.
Also, keep a team onboarding process specific to your team.
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.cult by Honeypot is a Berlin-based community platform for developers.
