If you're a tech leader today, it's more likely than not that your background is also technical. Like myself, you may have started out as a software engineer — you likely still are one. That usually comes along with an interest in technical problems, and in deep-diving the fascinating details of engineering issues. You likely enjoy doing this, especially when it seems to help out the team.
More often than not, you may not realize that instead of helping, you're getting in the way. It's time to step back.
Here's how you can build awareness of when to help out and avoid getting pulled into those technical rabbit holes when it isn't helpful.
Timing is Everything
You won't be the first or last engineer to hijack a meeting by getting into the deep technical issues of a problem — but as a leader, getting lost in the weeds is a bad look.
Ensure you go into each meeting with a clear idea of what you'd like its outcome to be. Write it down in plain view for the rest of the team. Not only does this help you stay on track and keep your team on topic, but it serves as an objective measure of success in terms of how the meeting went.
When meetings with a specific intent inevitably start to wander off-topic into technical problem-solving, politely keep your team on track. Say, "This is a really interesting idea! Let's set aside some dedicated time to discuss it further." Ensure you schedule that time promptly so your team knows you'll stick to your word.
Standups and other progress-update meetings are particularly susceptible to getting derailed by overenthusiastic technical leaders. When team members share a problem they've encountered, it's tempting to dive into specific questions and offer suggestions and guidance, even as everyone else in the meeting waits patiently for you to finish. Instead, make a note of your thoughts and follow up directly after the meeting with something like, "I was thinking further on the issue you brought up at standup — have you tried..." That way, you can be curious and helpful while still respecting everyone's time.
Perfect Your Handover
Especially when technical leaders are technical seniors as well, it can be tempting to help out more junior team members by essentially doing their work for them.
I've seen ill-informed leaders do everything from writing instructional epics on exactly how to approach and resolve issues, to driving hours-long pair programming sessions that result in a finished PR. This type of "help" doesn't respect your own time (you don't scale) or your team member's ability to learn and problem-solve on their own. This isn't leadership, it's hand-holding.
Should you refuse to help altogether? Of course not, but balance is paramount. If you have knowledge or an idea that you feel is likely to lead to a solution, pass it on. Instead of creating a detailed map of start to finish, however, think of it more like showing the way to the trailhead. Explain your context, thought process, and how to find more information to whomever's working on the issue — and leave it at that. By handing over a warm trail, you're able to provide direction while still leaving the path open for learning, exploration, and, potentially, an even better solution. Let your team member know they can always ask you for further clarification or ideas — just not full-fledged solutions. That's their job.
Enlist Your Team
If someone's struggling with a technical issue, it's not your sole responsibility to resolve it (again, you don't scale). It is, however, your responsibility to see that they get the help they need.
You can do this by having a clear idea of priorities and reallocating your team's work when necessary. If someone else has expertise that could help with a higher priority issue, ask them to help out. You can even set up the call yourself, stick around to explain the context and share your ideas, and ensure everyone is on the same page. After that, leave them to it. Trusting your team to help each other out and find solutions is a mark of a mature technical leader.
Take it to work today:
Stay on topic. Be a respectful leader by keeping meetings fixed to their purpose and not getting lost in ad-hoc technical problem-solving.
Learn to hand over a warm trail to a potential solution, instead of hijacking issues from those assigned to solve them.
Trust your team to help each other out, and reallocate work time to honor overall priorities.