Any advice for achieving a healthy work-life balance as you transition your career away from senior software engineering and into a leadership role?
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Director of Supply Chain in Services (non-Government)22 days ago
Happy to share my thoughts having recently been in a similar situation - albeit in an infrastructure role more so than software. As Rich noted, learning to delegate is going to be key - along with trusting your team. They may not do things the way you would have, but that doesn't mean their way is wrong. Not micro-managing will help show the team you trust them and empower them to make their own decisions and mistakes from which they will learn as we all have.Working with an international team, the work-life-balance can be a challenge. I can come in to a deluge of emails and meetings from our UK team when I start in the US. To some extent that is OK as I am asleep when they come in, but I am conscious the other way as if I send emails, the UK team may see them outside of their work hours in the evening. I use delayed send to reduce that happening - and I have seen the UK team doing the same the other way now too.
I also avoid responding to things outside of my working hours to set the example and expectation that I don't expect the rest of the team to do that either.
Lead by example, trust and empower and learn to delegate would be my key recommendations.
Associate Director20 days ago
Congrats on taking a leadership role! My counsel would be "Be yourself!" without specifically worrying about what role you're playing. If being a senior software engineer is hard work, being a leader is a different kind of hard work. I guess changing your work style entirely could give a wrong notion to the team that "...once you get promoted, you can relax!" (which is not the case). Of course, work-life balance is important. So, I would say - (a) make small adjustments in your workstyle without changing 180 deg. (b) be an approachable lead for your team (c) delegate your work and place your trust in your team.
Setting a good example for your team is also important. Avoid being chatty or sending emails after hours, as this can unknowingly set an expectation that your team should do the same. This can quickly create a culture where everyone feels they need to be always plugged in and working, even when it’s unnecessary.
You can set the tone and example for your team by respecting their time outside of work and respecting your own time. That pays dividends as it helps prevent burnout and ensures that your team isn’t working beyond what they should be.