Man, I wish I had one, in regards to my current job. But sadly, I'm pretty much making it up as I go along. Just finished Month Number Three as Feature Lead for the largest Feature Team we have, and am now faced with starting to think seriously about my - wait for it - exit strategy. No, not from the company... although, now that you mention it..........
(pours cold water on self) Wake up, Matt!
No, what I'm thinking about is the best way to remove myself from my current role on the current team, and start spreadin' myself around a little more than I've been doing. I know in no uncertain terms this is what my boss would like to see happen, but bless 'im, he's patient enough to let me do this at my own speed. So now it's time to pay back that kindness by actually making some plans.
Although I refuse to be held to it, here's what I think the next few months need to look like pour moi:
1) Bring along a current team member to start filling in more of the Feature Lead duties.
2) Figure out some way to determine if there's a team (or teams) out there that are in need of some guidance.
3) Think about how to possibly slide in on another team for awhile and provide it with some leadership. Problem: every team already has a Feature Lead, so if a team's identified as struggling, how is that not going to be perceived as a failure on the part of its current Lead? And of course that opens all kinds of traps like:
3a) Other Lead doesn't admit team is struggling, in order to save face;
3b) Other Lead is 'demoted' to team member status but does everything they can to undermine results to make me look bad and/or prove the problem wasn't theirs (win/win for them)
3c) Other Lead stays as Lead and I'm just there to provide guidance, but now team doesn't know who to follow if we have different approaches or styles;
3d) Team members resent being identified as struggling team and rebel.
And so on. And all of sudden I'm remembering why I've been putting this off.... ;-)
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Well.....rather than be seen to pick a team....draw one out of a hat. Make sure everyone knows that the plan is that you "annoy" all teams...you just happened to draw this one out of the hat first. Perhaps to make this ring true try to "draw" what appears to be one of the better teams first.
Or just call a spade a spade and be open and honest - might not be the team lead - could just be a team that needs a shake up. Maybe switch out a sustainging team member. Good luck and try not to lose too much sleep over it.
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