Finding your leadership style

Leadership in tech isn't a vague buzzword; it's a set of daily choices that shape outcomes. The article argues that knowing your personal style-whether you lead from the front, the back, or somewhere in between-lets you translate abstract advice into real impact, no matter if you're a junior contributor or a senior staff engineer.

Concrete examples illustrate how leadership shows up in routine work: creating and refactoring an engineering wiki, walking a peer through database migrations, giving a talk that spreads new knowledge, shaping team rituals, improving interview scorecards without being asked, introducing estimation sessions, championing quality and paying down debt, launching surveys to surface improvement areas, and bringing new technologies into the business. Each act is a leadership moment that doesn't require a formal title.

The piece supplies a series of prompts that guide self-reflection: what does leadership mean to you, do you see yourself as a leader, what expectations exist, which styles resonate, and how your values align with everyday actions. By answering these questions you surface default tendencies, identify where you need to flex, and build a personal leadership narrative that feels authentic.

Aligning your style with the environment saves energy, improves morale, and prevents the regret of acting out of sync with your values. When you recognize mismatches early, you can adjust, advocate for better approaches, and create spaces where others thrive. The practical prompts and real-world examples give engineers a roadmap to develop a leadership identity that delivers results and personal fulfillment.