Senior Developer to Tech Lead: All you need to know

by Eric Schmitt

From Senior Developer to Technical Lead is the definitive guide for engineers stepping into the pivotal role of a Technical Lead (TL). In today's fast-paced and collaborative software development environments, the shift from Senior Engineer to TL is both a promotion and a profound transformation. This book offers an indispensable roadmap for navigating that journey—covering not just the added responsibilities, but the entirely new mindset required to succeed. This book demystifies the TL role by breaking it into core leadership mindset, self-assessment, architecture and technical strategy, code quality culture, and cross-functional collaboration. Drawing from real-world scenarios, it contrasts the expectations of senior individual contributors with the broader, team-centric impact of TLs. You'll explore how to delegate effectively, foster psychological safety, balance hands-on work with strategic oversight, and guide your team through both technical challenges and organizational dynamics. Whether you're a newly minted TL or preparing for the leap, From Senior Developer to Technical Lead arms you with actionable tools, reflection prompts, and best practices to thrive—not just as a builder of systems, but as a multiplier of people. This is the playbook every engineering leader wishes they had when they first took the reins.

175 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 1, 2025