#164 - Lead Developer Career Guide - Shelley Benhoff

“The number one result of a good lead is reduced technical debt. Seeing technical debt just melts away and then stops occurring in the future. If you are a good lead, your systems will be stable all the time.” Are you a developer ready to step up and lead? Join us as we explore the world of lead development with Shelley Benhoff, author of “Lead Developer Career Guide”. In this episode, Shelley sheds light on the core responsibilities of a lead developer, clarifying the distinctions between different leadership titles within the field. We discuss the must-have leadership and mentoring skills you need to transform you into an inspiring leader. Shelley defines key success metrics and provides a self-assessment checklist to gauge your readiness for this exciting role. Shelley also covers the importance of a lead developer in optimizing development processes and fostering strong collaborations with stakeholders.   Listen out for: Career Journey - [00:00:59] Tips for Building Courses - [00:02:20] Writing “Lead Developer Career Guide” - [00:04:28] The Different Lead Developer Titles - [00:06:45] Leadership Skills - [00:08:43] Main Responsibilities - [00:10:28] Mentoring - [00:12:42] Success Measure - [00:14:22] Getting Appreciated - [00:16:19] Career Trajectory - [00:18:13] Readiness Check - [00:21:42] Leadership Styles - [00:24:12] Development Standards - [00:27:50] Optimizing The Development Process - [00:30:02] Learning from Different Stakeholders - [00:31:29] Writing Technical Documentation - [00:33:36] Preventive Measures - [00:36:55] Providing Estimates - [00:39:44] 3 Tech Lead Wisdom - [00:41:50] _____ Shelley Benhoff’s BioShelley has 20+ years of experience in IT as a Business Owner, Author, Speaker, Docker Community Leader, and Sitecore Technology MVP. She has a passion for tiaras, technology, gaming, and general nerdery. She loves to learn new things as well as mentor and teach others. She teaches content creation, content marketing, leadership, communication, Docker, and Sitecore development. Shelley is currently a Co-Owner of HoffsTech, LLC, an organization that she started with her family to provide online courses and digital media production. Follow Shelley: Website – hoffstech.com Twitter / X – @SBenhoff LinkedIn – linkedin.com/in/shelley-benhoff-69787513/ Tiaras and Tech Podcast – https://tiarasandtech.com/ TikTok – @tiarasandtech Instagram – @tiarasandtech Threads – @tiarasandtech _____ Our Sponsors Manning Publications is a premier publisher of technical books on computer and software development topics for both experienced developers and new learners alike. Manning prides itself on being independently owned and operated, and for paving the way for innovative initiatives, such as early access book content and protection-free PDF formats that are now industry standard.Get a 45% discount for Tech Lead Journal listeners by using the code techlead45 for all products in all formats. Like this episode? Show notes & transcript: techleadjournal.dev/episodes/164. Follow @techleadjournal on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram. Buy me a coffee or become a patron.