Tag: Tech Leadership

When I first became a team lead, I thought “tough decisions” were rare—something you made in a crisis. Big stuff, like letting someone go or killing a project. What I didn’t realize is that making hard calls is a daily part of leadership—and usually, no one claps when you do it.

No roadmap tells you when to delay a launch to avoid burnout, or when to back a teammate whose opinion clashes with the stakeholders. And the toughest ones? They’re the decisions where both choices suck, just in different ways.

Here’s what I’ve learned navigating those calls:

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1. Clarity Beats Consensus

As a dev, I used to aim for alignment. But as a leader, I’ve had to let go of consensus as the goal. Sometimes, not everyone will agree. And that’s okay.

What your team really needs is clarity—a clear direction and the rationale behind it.

I’ve found that saying, “This is a tough one, but here’s why I’m choosing this path,” builds more trust than pretending everyone is on the same page when they’re not.

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2. Short-Term Pain vs Long-Term Gain

Most hard decisions pit short-term discomfort against long-term outcomes. Think: choosing to push back on a client request and risk friction now… versus setting a sustainable precedent for your team.

I try to pause and ask: “Which version of this will I be glad I picked three months from now?”

It doesn’t make the decision easier, but it usually makes it clearer.

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3. Emotional Toll Is Real

No one talks enough about the emotional weight of leadership. You’ll second-guess yourself. You’ll worry about how others perceive your choices. You’ll carry things your team never sees.

That’s part of the job—but it doesn’t mean you go it alone. I’ve leaned on mentors, peers, and even a journal to process what I can’t always say out loud.

Make space for reflection. It’s not a luxury. It’s a survival tool.

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4. It’s Still Your Job to Decide

You can gather input, empathize, weigh tradeoffs—but at the end of the day, someone has to make the call.

And that someone is you.

When I avoid tough decisions, my team feels it. Progress stalls. People get confused. Doubts creep in. Even silence becomes a kind of signal—one that says, “I don’t know what we’re doing.”

Leading means deciding, even when the answer sucks.

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5. The Hardest Calls Are About People

Deadlines and features are one thing. But it’s the people calls—the ones where you balance empathy with performance—that really test your values.

Letting go of someone who isn’t thriving on the team. Calling out behavior that doesn’t align with your culture. Holding space for someone who’s struggling personally while still managing delivery.

These decisions define your leadership, not just your team’s outcomes.

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No One Applauds the Hard Decisions—Until Much Later

Most of the tough calls I’ve made weren’t popular in the moment. Some were questioned. Some were misunderstood. But months later? That’s when people say, “I’m glad you did that.” Sometimes they never say it out loud—but you feel it in the team’s stability, growth, or regained trust.

So if you’re in a season of hard decisions, take heart.

Leadership isn’t about always knowing the right answer. It’s about carrying the weight of uncertainty, choosing with intention, and standing by your team as you navigate it together.