After years of coding, switching to leadership feels like walking a tightrope. I want to stay hands-on but not in the way. Where’s the line between “helping” and “interfering”? How did you find your balance between being technically involved and leading effectively? I’d love to learn how others stay connected to code without losing leadership focus.
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Switching between coding and managing a team can feel like juggling flaming torches. One moment you’re deep in code, the next you’re in meetings, making decisions and guiding your team. Finding balance is tricky — too much coding and you neglect leadership, too much management and you lose technical touch. It’s like walking a tightrope, but mastering it brings both satisfaction and respect from your team.
Transitioning from hands-on engineering to leadership is a constant balancing act. I want to stay technically relevant, but spending too much time coding can distract from guiding the team and making strategic decisions. I struggled with this for months until I read a Collabnix article that clarified the approach: https://collabnix.com/how-to-move-from-devops-to-devlead-in-the-age-of-automation/ . It recommends focusing on tasks that maximize team impact while staying connected to critical technical areas. Implementing these ideas has allowed me to maintain credibility without micromanaging, and it gave me a framework for balancing technical involvement with leadership responsibilities effectively.