Traits of a good Tech Lead

Overview The article explains the distinction between Engineering Manager and Tech Lead roles, outlines the three core responsibilities of a Tech Lead-architecture, quality, and mentorship-and presents common operating models for technical leadership within software teams.

Key Takeaways

• Engineering Managers focus on people, product/project delivery, and processes.
• Tech Leads concentrate on architecture decisions, code quality, and mentoring engineers.
• Different organizational models exist: separate EM and TL, combined role, or EM-only with engineers leading technically.
• Effective Tech Leads should act as multipliers, preventing bottlenecks and fostering team autonomy.

Who Would Benefit

• Current or aspiring Tech Leads
• Engineering Managers seeking to collaborate with Tech Leads
• Senior engineers interested in technical leadership
• Teams defining their leadership structure

Frameworks and Methodologies

• TL vs EM responsibility matrix
• Operating model comparison (EM+TL, combined role, EM-only)