I'm making the leap from a Cloud/DevOps Engineer to a Lead DevOps Engineer position at a new company, and this will be my first time managing a team, which currently consists of just one person. I'd love to hear any tips or advice you might have for me. Are there things you wish your leads or managers did that they don't do currently?
2 Answers
One big point to remember is that your success will be measured by how well your team performs, rather than just your individual contributions. Make sure your team has the opportunity to shine—and be prepared to take on the less glamorous tasks yourself. If you hog the visibility projects, it could hurt not just your team but also your own chances for future advancement.
Here are some key points I think are essential:
1. Collaborate with other leads to identify pain points and constraints, especially around technical debt.
2. Be proactive about resolving recurring issues—research past incidents to implement improvements.
3. Don’t hesitate to ask for budget increases if it’ll benefit the team, whether it’s for software or tools.
4. Set high-impact goals that catch management’s attention.
5. Understand your team’s strengths and weaknesses early on. Encourage development without putting too much pressure on them.
6. Establish a robust dev/staging environment as soon as possible.
7. Don't hesitate to ask for help from your management if you're feeling stuck!
Thanks for the detailed response. I'll be sure to take this onboard!
Thanks, that's super helpful insight!