Don’t Lead a Tech Team Before Reading This
CTO Diaries #12
"Leadership is not about being in charge. It’s about taking care of those in your charge." – Simon Sinek
We spoke to Gaurav Batra, CTO at Semaai, about leading tech teams. Here’s what he had to say: “While leading tech teams for over many years now, I’ve always tried to establish patterns among successful leaders to understand what truly works. What is that magic code they have cracked that remains unknown to others doing similar work daily? I’ve learned that leading a tech team isn’t just about technical know-how—it’s about mastering the art of leadership in a fast-paced, ever-evolving environment.”
If you’re stepping into a leadership role, don’t fall into the trap of relying solely on your coding skills. Here’s a detailed list of to-dos to help you lead effectively and drive success for your engineering team.
1. Understand the role: it’s not just about tech
If you think being a tech leader means being the most technically proficient person in the room, think again. While your technical knowledge is important, your role goes beyond writing the best code. As a tech leader, you're now responsible for strategy, people, and long-term vision.
Start by setting clear goals that align your team with the company’s mission. Be the person who can not only guide a technical solution but also articulate how that solution moves the business forward. The bigger picture always matters.
Key Takeaway: Have regular strategy sessions with your team to align technical decisions with business goals. Encourage engineers to understand the "why" behind their work.
2. Build & nurture a high-performance team
Hiring the right people is one of the most crucial aspects of leadership. You’re not just hiring for skills but for culture fit and growth potential. It’s tempting to hire someone based solely on technical abilities, but it’s just as important to assess whether they can communicate well, collaborate, and adapt to change.
Once the right people are in place, your role shifts to nurturing their development. Create an environment where learning is encouraged, and provide opportunities for both personal and professional growth.
Key Takeaway: Introduce peer-to-peer learning sessions or a mentorship program to ensure continuous skill development within the team.
3. Communication: The lifeline of your team
Transparent, open communication is essential for keeping a team functioning smoothly. As a leader, you need to facilitate conversations, ensure clarity in direction, and foster a space where people feel comfortable sharing ideas and concerns.
One thing I’ve learned is that active listening is just as important as speaking. Take the time to really hear your team’s feedback and input, especially during decision-making processes. This not only improves team dynamics but leads to better outcomes.
Key Takeaway: Have weekly check-ins or one-on-ones to gauge how your team is feeling and understand any roadblocks they’re facing. Listen more than you talk.
4. Balancing innovation with delivery
Innovation is exciting, but delivery is the bedrock of any engineering team’s success. As a tech leader, you’re tasked with finding the sweet spot between the two. If you focus too much on day-to-day delivery, you’ll miss out on innovation that could lead to future growth. If you focus too much on innovation, delivery timelines suffer.
This balance often comes down to setting realistic expectations with both your team and stakeholders. Encourage experimentation and exploration, but ensure that innovation serves a purpose and aligns with your delivery goals.
Key Takeaway: Allocate a portion of your team's time for "innovation sprints" where they can explore new ideas or technologies, but always tie it back to practical applications.
5. Empower your team & trust them to lead
Trust is one of the most powerful tools a leader has. If you try to micromanage every detail, you’ll stifle creativity and autonomy. Instead, delegate effectively and empower your team members to take ownership of their projects.
A tech leader’s real success comes from developing future leaders. Create opportunities for your team members to lead initiatives, make decisions, and grow in their roles.
Key Takeaway: Start assigning projects where team members are the lead decision-makers. Encourage them to own the outcomes, both good and bad.
6. Embrace failure & learn from It
Failure is part of the process. If your team is pushing boundaries, there will be missteps. What matters is how you handle them. Instead of blaming or punishing mistakes, treat them as learning opportunities. Own failures as a leader and help your team understand what went wrong and how to improve.
Fostering a mindset where failure is accepted—and even encouraged in safe scenarios—creates a culture of innovation and resilience. This is especially critical in tech, where problem-solving is a daily task.
Key Takeaway: After every project, host a "retrospective" to discuss what went well and what didn’t. Frame failures as valuable lessons for future projects.
Last words
To lead a tech team successfully, you need to go beyond coding and technical proficiency. It requires a blend of strategy, emotional intelligence, problem-solving, and above all, the ability to nurture and empower your people. By understanding the big picture and creating an environment of trust and continuous growth, you can truly unlock the potential of your team.
Leadership isn’t about being the smartest person in the room—it’s about helping your team be the best they can be.
Credits 🙏
Writers- Cheers to our guest writer, Gaurav Batra
Sponsors- Thanks to our sponsors Typo AI - Ship reliable software faster
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