A software engineering team lead at BBC Sounds shares leadership lessons learned over 4 years in the role.
•Leadership is not about commanding others; people manage their own workloads better when given clear goals rather than micromanaged task assignments.
•Collective decision-making and shared vision are more motivating than top-down directives; teams generate better implementation ideas than any single individual.
•Workplace influence works like a currency built slowly through trust and is most effective when used sparingly on genuinely important matters.
•When decisions go against your preference, reframe them positively for the team rather than presenting them as bad ideas from the outset.
•A servant leader continuously asks what is most helpful for the team right now, removes blockers, and watches for early signs of burnout in themselves and others.