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Patrick Kua is a Technical Principal Consultant for ThoughtWorks in London. He is a conference speaker and author of “The Retrospective Handbook” and “Talking with Tech Leads” and is passionate about bringing a balanced focus on people, organization and technology.

Key Takeaways

Horrible bosses don’t have to be managers, they can be more senior people on the team.
Personal issues should be taken offline, after calming down.
If you are a junior colleague trying to resolve an issue with a more senior colleague, find another senior individual to act as a mediator.
Developer to tech lead is a huge jump and changes the expectations.
- When you are a dev your workload consists of code, working with fellow devs and solving tech problems.
- When you are a team lead your workload consists of people issues, planning and whole system architecture.
When moving to a tech lead role, it can feel lonely.
- Your focus is on the broader view, not tech issues.
- You’re not working on the same issues with your old friends.
- You’re starting to spend more time in meetings with people outside the department.
However, you have a broader impact on the organization.
- You set the culture.
- Instead of having really deep relationships with a small group of people that you pair with every day, you need to invest time with the broader team.
- You must get outside of your comfort zone and spend time with people with different styles.
Your emotional range and capacity to connect with people will grow as your career grows.

Why Tech Lead Positions Are So Lonely — Patrick Kua on Leadership

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