Having been both, being a really good manager is hard in a very different set of ways.
Depending what itch you're trying to scratch, and what opportunities are available in your org, it might be just as rewarding to be a tech lead, feature lead, mentor, cross-team liaison, steering committee member, or possibly other roles rather than team lead / manager.
The only time I'm OK with being in a manager role is in my own company. Working for someone else, you couldn't pay me enough to do that job. That's because I'm a dev to the core, that's where my interest and skills are. Being a manager is a different beast entirely and, while I can do it, I find it very unpleasant.
I think what I struggled with most in my time managing a small team was feeling that I lacked agency.
Particularly with "soft" objectives like improving morale, building team cohesiveness, helping people set/advance career goals, etc, I just didn't feel like I had a ton in terms of levers to pull and resources to draw on. And I lacked the experience and training to know how I could either advocate for those resources, or achieve the objectives in ways that wouldn't have a lot of cost and disruption attached. The leadership course I took was focused on personality type assessments, and conflict resolution as a very abstract kind of exercise ("try to see and validate all sides, practice non-violent communication") rather than a concrete, like, here's how to navigate when your direct report says they're quitting if they doesn't get a 20% raise, and upper management says lol no way.
Anyway, the pay scale at my org has equivalent IC roles at each manager grade, and in the end I've found I can have more of the type of influence and leadership that I desire by exerting soft power over the decision making processes in the areas that I most care about— which are mostly related to technical direction and strategy.
I mean... the whole point is that that stuff is not a titled role. It's responsibility you can choose to take on as a senior IC that helps extend your reach, influence, and visibility into what is going on elsewhere in the company, making your voice that much more valuable and insightful when you're pulled into those meeting to talk long term technical direction and strategy.
I don't think it's too hard to imagine how to explain this in a way that might excite a child, but at the end of the day, they look to us for their cues on whether to be excited about Daddy's promotion, whether it's to "Team Lead" or "Staff Engineer".
> I mean... the whole point is that that stuff is not a titled role. It's responsibility you can choose to take on as a senior IC that helps extend your reach, influence, and visibility into what is going on elsewhere in the company, making your voice that much more valuable and insightful when you're pulled into those meeting to talk long term technical direction and strategy.
> I don't think it's too hard to imagine how to explain this in a way that might excite a child, but at the end of the day, they look to us for their cues on whether to be excited about Daddy's promotion, whether it's to "Team Lead" or "Staff Engineer".
I genuinely can’t tell if you’re serious or trolling.
Poe’s Law is in play, I guess.
Fwiw, the eyes of every child I have ever been around always glaze over whenever an adult whips out corporate speak. I think there is a good reason for this.
Depending what itch you're trying to scratch, and what opportunities are available in your org, it might be just as rewarding to be a tech lead, feature lead, mentor, cross-team liaison, steering committee member, or possibly other roles rather than team lead / manager.