Being a lead dev is a poorly defined and often misunderstood role. How is it different from Staff Engineer and Team Leader? Time to shed some light on what it means and who should be doing it.
I talk with Shelley Benhoff, an experienced Lead Developer and author, about the journey and responsibilities of a lead developer. Shelley discusses her book, which covers her own mistakes and lessons learned in leadership, explaining the difference between lead engineer, staff engineer, and engineering manager roles.
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She emphasizes the importance of people skills, delegation, managing technical debt, and mentoring junior developers. Shelley shares a compelling story about scaling the Johns Hopkins hospital website during the COVID-19 pandemic, highlighting the pressures and rewards of the role. The episode also touches on career progression, imposter syndrome, and the value of hiring junior developers.
You should listen to this.
Be a Lead Engineer people admire, with Shelley Benhoff - HS#21