
When you join a team where the lead is less senior than you? - hibou107
Do you feel bad about it and what do you do ?
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bausshf
Sometimes we have to look past our work experience, because the lead might
excel in other fields that make him more fit for the position than yourself.

To give an example you might join a team and the lead only has half the
experience in software development that you have, but he has been a part of
the company for years and knows exactly how everything works, which project
does what and knows how work is generally done in the business.

This puts him in a better position for leading than you, but puts you in a
better position for developing.

I don't know if that makes sense.

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davismwfl
I joined a startup where if you added all their experience together I'd still
have 20 years more experience than anyone in the company at the time I joined.
And this isn't the only time I have put myself in this situation
intentionally.

Short answer is no, never have I felt bad about it and I absolutely love being
around smart people so it doesn't matter if I have more years doing the work.

My answer to you is you are playing a role, that role is a team member with
certain responsibilities, do your part. The team lead has their
responsibilities, if you have more experience doing his/her job and feel
he/she is lacking in an area offer your guidance privately but be humble. The
key to mentoring anyone at anytime, is be willing to offer your experience and
advice but don't be offended if they don't take it.

Many times advances are made because someone is naive and does not fully
understand the problem they are solving. Personally, I also love hearing new
ideas on how to solve things that have been done in various ways before as it
fuels new thought for me too. That doesn't mean I won't challenge ideas I know
have failed in the past to get them to think through it. I also look at it as
inspiration from someone who doesn't have some of the preconceived notions I
might, which helps me stay fresh, inspired and thinking out of the box to
solve problems.

In the end it is up to you. You have your role on the team, play your role, if
you don't like your role, change it (e.g. find another job etc). It really is
that simple.

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cimmanom
Except in cases where most of the team is very junior, a team lead is rarely
the person on the team with the most advanced technical skill, because that’s
not what being a team lead is about.

The lead position requires soft skills, including leadership and communication
skills. It requires the ability to prioritize business needs and strategy over
technical considerations. It typically requires an interest in and aptitude
for mentorship. It also requires an interest in and aptitude for a managerial
career track that not all developers have.

It also takes a stupid amount of time away from bands on software development,
which is an unappealing idea to many developers, and requires active
participation in corporate politics outside the team.

These are not thing everyone wants to do. If you don’t enjoy the job you have
and you do want those responsibilities, then start looking for a team lead
role yourself. Otherwise, accept that the company’s choice of a team lead
(before you ever joined the team) is not a slight on your skills, nor does it
change the job you were hired for.

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LeonM
Stop seeing a lead as the better/more important team member. The lead just has
a different set of tasks to fulfill, that's all.

If the lead is any good at his/her job, then he/she will respect your
experience in your field and let you do your work.

