Robin Bate Boerop's blog about DevOps and software team leadership.

Mission Defines Success

The purpose of a software team is to complete a mission. If you are a software team leader, your success is defined by the accomplishment of that mission; you must own the result 100%.

Motivating Psychological Safety

Why software team leaders should create psychologically safe work environments.

Your Dev Team Needs A Mission

Teams exist to complete a mission. If you are a software team leader, you must ensure that the team's mission is well defined and clearly communicated. Without a clear mission, your team’s ability to make decisions is grossly impeded, as is your ability to set goals and measure progress.

Tip: Repeat Yourself Often

A tip for software team leaders: to communicate clearly and to lead effectively, repeat yourself often.

Toxic Developers Destroy Productivity

If you are the leader of a software team, then you have heard of the legendary 10x developer - the superstar worker. To improve your team's productivity, learn this: replacing an average worker with a superstar worker is not nearly as effective as removing a toxic worker. It’s not even close. Toxic workers destroy productivity.

Tip: Stop Solving Your Team's Problems

If you lead a software team, and a team member has a problem, you may be tempted to solve it. Maybe you shouldn’t. This is an opportunity for more than a solved problem.

Tip: They Don't Have to Like You

Are you a software leader worried that the team members don’t like you? You can stop worrying. They don’t have to like you. They just have to trust you.

Tip: Coaching Means Giving Less Advice

A tip for software team leaders: coaching well means giving less advice.

Tip: Negotiate Achievable Goals

Leaders must ensure that the software team's goals are achievable.