Yes, we've all done it. I've done it. My managers have done it. And most likely, it's the default setting for many battle-worn team leads. In those crisis moments when expectations are high, everything is going off the rails, and the deadline was yesterday, all new software managers will utter one fateful sentence.

1. Pu#ng&Down&the&Tools
Avoiding(the(#1(Mistake(All(New(So6ware(
Managers(Make(in(a(Crisis

2. Yes,%we've%all%done%it.
I've%done%it.%My%managers%have%done%it.%And%most%likely,%it's%the%
default%se:ng%for%many%ba<le=worn%team%leads.

3. In#those#crisis#moments#when#expecta1ons#are#high,#everything#is#
going#off#the#rails,#and#the#deadline#was#yesterday,#all#new#so9ware#
managers#will#u;er#one#fateful#sentence.
!"It$would$be$so$much$faster$if$I$just$did$this$
myself."!

4. !Then!they!pick!up!the!IDE,!close!the!office!door,!and!retreat!into!
the!code.

5. What%they%don't%realize%is%that%they've%just%
kicked%off%a%chain%reac7on%of%nega7ve%
work%prac7ces%that%will%plague%their%team%
for%months.

6. Save%Yourself

7. As#you#probably#understand#all#too#well,#the#programming#world#is#
full#of#fires#to#ex9nguish.#No#ma<er#what#your#company's#size#or#
specialty,#you#are#going#to#hit#many,#many#pressure#cooker#days.

8. It's%up%to%you%to%an,cipate%the%inevitable%before%it%happens%and%
make%a%firm,%conscious%choice%not%to%try%to%code%your%way%out%of%a%
crisis.%

9. Why$We$Make$This$Classic$Mistake

10. Making'the'switch'from'programmer'to'team'lead'can'be'flat'out'
awkward'at'8mes.'You've'gone'from'playing'in'the'orchestra'from'
leading(it,'which'really'shakes'up'your'iden8ty.

11. The$most$significant$shi/$comes$with$the$realiza4on$that$you're$no$
longer$a$produc4on$unit,$but$you're$s4ll$working$in$an$industry$that$
values$produc4on.$If$you've$always$taken$pride$in$the$4dy$
transac4on$of$being$paid$for$your$output,$management$is$a$strange$
new$world.

12. Mixed&Messages

13. First&off,&while&promo0ons&are&a&much5coveted&status&symbol,&they&
carry&a&built5in&mixed&message.&It's&as&if&your&company&is&saying,
"You're(such(a(great(programmer!(Now(let's(
have(you(do(less$of$that."

14. Doing&less&coding&o,en&feels&like&you're&
doing&less&altogether&or&that&you're&not&as&
important&to&the&company,&especially&
when&you're&just&learning&the&ropes.&

15. Dependent'on'Others

16. Then%there's%the%new%reality%of%how%
produc5on%happens.%As%a%programmer,%
your%brainpower%and%clever%workarounds%
could%conjure%magnificent%code%from%your%
fingers.
The$programs$you$created$could$keep$
manufacturing$produc6on$humming$or$
bring$it$to$a$stands6ll.$En6re$businesses$
hung$on$your$crea6ons.$

17. Now$you're$dependent$on$other$people$to$create$the$code$that$
works$this$magic.$And$making$the$switch$from$crea:ng$your$own$
technological$incanta:ons$to$suppor:ng$other$people's$efforts$
really$feels$awkward$for$a$while.

18. It#Gets#Worse

19. That%clumsy%beginner's%feeling%gets%cranked%up%when%you%face%the%
new%aspects%of%team%dynamics%and%the%reality%of%being%without%
your%most%powerful%weapon:%your%ability%to%code.%

20. But$you$really$get$triggered$by$array$of$new$expecta4ons$staring$at$
you,$like:
• Figuring(out(your(boss's(agenda
• Assigning(work(to(former(coworkers
• Dealing(with(morale(speed(bumps
• Steering(through(so=ware(quality(problems

21. Stepping(into(a(new(management(role(can(feel(like(stepping(into(a(
plane's(cockpit(without(any(flight(training.(There(are(all(these(
complicated,(unfamiliar(dials(and(gauges(you(don't(understand,(and(
you(don't(know(if(that(blinking(light(means(an(engine(has(failed(or(
the(coffee's(ready.(

22. In#order#to#escape#this#anxiety#loop,#many#new#managers#fall#into#
one#of#two#pa7erns:
• Code&less,&but&indulge&their&coding&desires&by&pu5ng&out&fires&
and&debugging&whenever&possible.
• Code&even&more&intently,&blocking&out&team&members&and&
undermining&their&credibility&as&a&leader.
Each%of%these%posi-ons%is%a%pa/ern%that%will%cause%you%to%fail.%

23. Let$me$say$it$again.$Retrea/ng$to$the$posi/on$of$"I'll$do$it$myself"$
isn't$going$to$save$you$any$/me$or$frustra/on.$It's$only$going$to$
crank$up$the$problems.

24. 'I'll$Do$It$Myself':$Say$Hello$to$a$
Cascade$of$Problems

25. Once%you've%u+ered%those%fateful%words,%
you%are%no%longer%doing%the%job%you%were%
paid%to%do:%leading.%And%if%you're%not%doing%
your%job,%especially%when%your%team%needs%
your%leadership%most,%then%no%one%is.

26. If#you#follow#through#on#your#natural#desire#to#just#do#it#yourself,#
you've#chosen#to#avoid#doing#the#following#cri$cal#items:

27. Communica)on

28. Checking)in)with)your)team)members)and)
other)departments)is)the)heart)of)your)
work.)But)chaining)yourself)to)your)
computer)stops)that)cold.)Suddenly,)
you've)cut)off)any)team)discussions)about)
quality,)progress,)or)individual)
development.)Everyone(loses.)

29. Connec&on

30. Jumping(in(to(correct(someone(else's(work(not(only(short5circuits(
their(learning(process,(it(teaches(them(to(do(substandard(work.(
Pre<y(soon(they(only(turn(in(par=ally(completed(work(because(
they(figure(you'll(just(redo(it(anyway.

31. "Why%bother?",%they%think.%They%lose%their%
drive,%you%lose%their%trust,%and%projects%
start%to%suffer.
!It's!like!a!conductor!wrestling!the!tuba!
away!from!the!tuba!player.

32. Momentum

33. When%you%move%back%into%produc4on%mode,%there's%no%one%
available%to%keep%team%moving%forward.%Essen4al%work%like%status%
updates,%work%review,%and%new%project%prepara4on%is%completely%
out%the%window%un4l%you%pick%your%head%up.%

34. You've'just'traded'away'hours'of'non3replaceable'8me'and'energy'
that'should'have'been'devoted'to'doing'the'job'you're'hired'to'do.'
And'when'you'get'back'to'the'work'that's'been'piling'up'on'your'
desk,'you've'got'to'dig'out'all'over'again.

35. Sustainability

36. Let's&be&honest.&It&feels&great&to&be&a&hero,&swooping&in&to&save&the&
day&with&a&brilliant&solu:on.&But&the&cost&is&just&too&high.
A""quick"fix""always"takes"much"longer,"turning"your"one9hour"job"
into"six"hours"(or"more!)"of"mind9numbing"panic."While"you"code"up"
a"fix,"your"resentment"and"exhausDon"build"and"you're"teaching"
your"team"to"depend"on"your"last9minute"efforts"to"bail"them"out"
instead"of"their"own"skills."

37. Management(Skills

38. Running&to&your&comfort&zone&feels&safe,&
but&it's&a&very&limited&strategy&that&keeps&
you&from&making&the&changes&necessary&
for&you&to&be&a&good&manager.
Trust&me.&Take&a&chance,&drop&the&IDE&
security&blanket&and&interact&with&your&
team&instead.

39. Best%Prac*ces%for%Crises
While&you're&wai.ng&for&your&team&to&
complete&their&work,&you&don't&need&to&sit&
passively&or&beat&them&with&the&boss&s.ck.&
Here&are&a&few&.ps&that&will&keep&you&sane&
and&your&team&on&track.

40. Don't&Do&it&Yourself

41. If#there's#a#problem#that#you#desperately#
need#to#rework,#don't&do&it&yourself.#Grab#a#
programmer#and#say,#"Let's#review#this#
code#together#to#fix#it."

42. Sure,&you&just&scratched&your&itch&by&ge3ng&involved,&but&you've&
also&established&much9needed&rapport&and&created&up&a&teaching&
moment—for&both&of&you.

43. Communicate

44. Panicked)about)a)deadline?)Get)a)status)
update)from)the)programmers,)adjust)the)
workload)if)needed,)and)contact)the)client)
(or)your)boss))to)give)them)an)update.

45. Once%again,%you've%opened%lines%of%communica5on%and%placed%your%
focus%on%the%overall%project,%not%just%your%team's%to:do%list%or%your%
stress.

46. OK,$Go$Ahead$And$Code…

47. Can't&keep&yourself&away&from&
tempta3on?&Fine.&Then&code.&But&don't&
code&anything&that&will&be&used&in&
produc3on.
I"cannot"emphasize"this"enough."If"you"
absolutely,"posi7vely"can't"resist,"then"
choose"a"project"that"is"on"the"back"
burner."You"don't"want"to"muck"up"a"
project"in"process.

48. This%Is%About%the%Long%Game

49. Great&management&prac,ces&depend&on&a&solid,&though5ul&
founda,on&created&outside&the&heat&of&crisis.&But&it's&worth&
remembering&that&reputa,ons&are&earned&and&character&is&
uncovered&during&crucial,&adrenaline=filled&moments.&

50. Remember&that&your&purpose&as&a&manager&is&to&create&a&team&that&
is&capable&of&producing&excellent&code.
In#those#ins*nct,driven#moments,#especially#in#beginner's#panic,#
please#take#a#step#back.##Avoid#this#classic#management#blunder.#

51. Become&a&Be(er&Technical&Manager
I"get"paid"to"coach"newly"minted"technical"managers."My"clients"
quickly"feel"drama:cally"more"confident"and"capable"and"start"
seeing"be=er"performance"from"themselves"and"their"team"within"
weeks.
I"am"taking"the"same"insigh-ul,"ac2onable"lessons"I"teach"in"my"
coaching"and"pu8ng"them"out"as"a"free"newsle<er."Sign"up"to"
become"a"be<er"manager"here.