Bad Technical Lead Archetypes

I am working as a Technical Lead at HubSpot, and I am part of the Product Triad. It means I must work closely with the Product Managers and Designers to define the product roadmap. So I decided to read "Escaping the Build Trap", a book by Melissa Perri. The second chapter describes the types of bad Product Managers archetypes, and when reading this chapter, I realized that they are also bad Technical Leads archetypes.

Let's first of all explain what are the three types:

• The Mini-CEO: The PM who does not listen to the team and think that they are visionaries who know what customer needs even without asking them.

• The waiter: The PM who only listens to the leadership team and translates their ideas into user stories for the development team.

• The former Project Manager: The one who is more focused on the process rather than on the product itself.

So then, I stopped reading the book and started thinking about myself as a Technical Lead in the past, and I found myself making some of the same mistakes. As a Technical Lead, you don't only need to focus on the technology, you need to learn how to build good products.

Do not be a TL that follow a command-order approach, thinking that you are the one who should take all the decisions without asking and working with your team.

Do not be a TL that just implement the uses stories written by your PM and the designs created by your designer without wondering why.

Do not be a TL that focusses only on productivity of your team and the process.