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Technical skill can earn a developer a leadership role, but it does not automatically teach them how to lead. In his January 10, 2025 essay, Daniel Llach describes taking on a first leadership role without feeling prepared, trying to prove himself by coding, staying constantly available, and concealing uncertainty and exhaustion. His account points to a practical shift: a tech lead’s work is not to do everything personally, but to make it possible for the team to do its work.
What happened when Llach moved from development into leadership
In his first-person account in Front-end World on Medium, Llach recalls stepping into a leadership role amid project uncertainty while his infant daughter was at home. He describes long meetings, coding late to demonstrate competence, taking over work from teammates, and feeling pulled between work and family. He says he later left the leadership role for a senior web UI developer position, after about five months.
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Those details are Llach’s recollections, not independently verified accounts of the organizations or events involved. His essay is most useful as an individual reflection on a difficult transition, not as proof that every strong developer will struggle in leadership or that these four beliefs explain leadership failures generally.
Four beliefs that made the transition harder
1. “A Leader Must Do Everything Themselves”
Llach says he tried to demonstrate his value by coding work that belonged to team members. That choice can feel like the fastest way to protect delivery, but it also leaves less room for others to own their work and leaves the leader carrying more of the load. In his account, the shift was to delegate rather than treat personal execution as the main proof of leadership.
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2. “Leaders Must Know All The Answers”
He describes making decisions alone, rushing to learn every technology, and avoiding the phrase “I don’t know.” His reflection suggests a more workable response: be clear about what is known, identify what needs checking, and involve the people who can help resolve it. Acknowledging uncertainty is not the same as abandoning responsibility for a decision.
3. “Leadership Means Total Availability”
Llach recounts accepting constant meetings and hiding fatigue while trying to meet the demands of work and family. His account frames boundaries and basic wellbeing as part of a sustainable transition—not as evidence that a leader lacks commitment. The essay does not prescribe a particular schedule or workplace policy; those need to fit the team’s responsibilities and circumstances.
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4. “Showing Uncertainty Undermines Authority”
Trying to appear certain can make it harder to ask questions or surface a problem early. Llach’s lesson is that a leader can admit uncertainty while still taking responsibility for finding an answer. In practice, that means naming the unknown, agreeing on how to resolve it, and communicating what happens next.
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What to do if your first tech lead role feels overwhelming
Llach’s recommendations are grounded in his own experience. They are useful starting points, not a proven formula or a guarantee of a particular outcome.
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- Separate leadership from individual output. Before taking on a task yourself, ask whether your contribution is needed to unblock someone or whether the team member should retain ownership. Delegate the work and agree on an appropriate check-in.
- Make unknowns explicit. Say what you do not know, who or what can help clarify it, and when you will follow up. Avoid presenting a guess as a settled answer merely to seem authoritative.
- Set workable boundaries. Look at recurring meetings and availability expectations, then discuss what can be changed with your manager and team. Protecting time to focus and recover is different from disengaging from the role.
- Ask for support before a problem becomes a crisis. Raise the transition with your manager and identify the decisions, people-management situations, or technical responsibilities where you need guidance. Llach advocates treating leadership as a skill to learn.
How an employer can prepare a developer for leadership
Llach argues that organizations should prepare developers before promoting them and support them through the transition. He says he works with developers before they enter leadership and helps organizations create transition programs. These are his recommendations and descriptions of his work; the sources do not establish that a particular program or intervention produces specific results.
A company applying that perspective can make the transition more deliberate by discussing the role before the promotion, clarifying what the new lead is expected to own, and arranging ongoing support. The key is not to assume that strong individual performance alone prepares someone for the different responsibilities of leadership.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.The change in what leadership means
The central change in Llach’s account is from proving personal technical competence to enabling a team’s work. He does not claim that returning to a senior developer position is the right choice for everyone. His story instead shows that a difficult first experience can prompt a person to reconsider what they need from a role and what support future leaders should receive.
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A free scan shows the junk files, broken settings and background clutter dragging Windows down - then fixes them in one click.Free scan · Windows 10 & 11He closes his essay with the line, “Lead with calm. It’s not just a motto, it’s a promise to every developer stepping into leadership.” That is Llach’s personal conclusion, rather than an independently endorsed standard.
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