Taking on a role without fully understanding its responsibilities can be a major mistake—unless you can adapt quickly.
A few years ago, I was offered a team lead position on a project, and I accepted almost instantly.
Was I prepared for it? Not.
Did I want the role? Absolutely.
The company was a start-up. I had worked in start-up environments before, so I thought, How hard could it be?
That was my first mistake.
As a team lead, I assumed my main responsibility would be managing developers and overseeing the code. However, I soon realized that my expectations were completely off. The project—a warehouse management system integrated with an e-commerce website—had almost no documentation or roadmap. Every time I asked for one, the answer was the same: We don’t have that.
To make things even more challenging, there was no project manager or product owner to help us organize client requests.
This responsibility fell on me—on top of leading the team and writing code. While this kind of situation is common in start-ups, I had no idea how to handle it efficiently.
Thankfully, I had an incredible development team. They supported me in ways I’ll always be grateful for, and they taught me a crucial lesson: I didn’t need to be the best developer on the team to be a good leader.
However, my real struggle was managing requirements, organizing development, and delivering functionality as fast as possible. It quickly became overwhelming. Before long, I was burned out.
For the first time in my career, I felt like I was failing. The guilt consumed me. I started coming in early to finish my development tasks before the team arrived, hoping to free up time for planning and discussions. But the real problem? I never asked for help.
Looking back, I realize that my guilt stemmed from my pride. I believed that asking for help would make me look incompetent. But the truth is, that humbleness is one of the most important characteristics of a leader.
The Lesson:
If you’re feeling overwhelmed, ask for help. It will make you a better leader, a better teammate, and ultimately, a better professional. Leadership isn’t just about setting an example—it’s about knowing when to lean on others.