my worst team leaders

my worst team leaders

• Didn’t bother to check or see if I was stuck on something
• Didn’t coach me or teach me to be a better developer or team mate
• Didn’t earn my trust in their technical skills
• Didn’t have a problem with anything I was doing (good or bad)
• Spent most of their time away from me
• Smiled a lot, but didn’t say too much
• were really nice
• did not take care of any impediments I presented
• did not challenge me

Comments

[Worst Team Lead]

...these developers are whining all the time

[Dave]

So... "nice" is a contra-indication of a good team leader?

That might be your experience, but that's hardly a necessary condition.

[Sander van Rossen]

I agree. Although there's nice & too nice.
A good team leader would always tell you the truth and wouldn't sugar coat it.
That doesn't mean a good team leader would need to be a complete a-hole either.

[Roy Osherove]

Sander, Dave
I meant "nice" not in a bad way. I meant that just because a team lead is nice doesn't mean they are good leaders.
"nice" only goes so far. there are other qualities and skills to look for.

[Vukoje]

- weren't defending the team
- weren't admitting their mistakes

[Vlad]

-> Didn’t bother to check or see if I was stuck on something.

It's not their job to babysit you, maybe you should have asked for help if you were stuck?
The rest I agree with.