010. Avoid Rabbit Holes

How to help with technical issues when you're a technical leader.

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.