The Iceberg of a Tech Lead: Balancing Hands-On Work and Leadership

In the world of software engineering, the role of a Tech Lead is much like an iceberg. What’s visible above the surface is just a fraction of the responsibilities that truly define the role. To succeed as a Tech Lead, one must master both the technical (A) and leadership (B) aspects of the job. Let’s dive deeper into what this metaphorical iceberg entails.

The Hidden Part of the Iceberg (A): The Craft of Engineering

The bulk of a Tech Lead’s work lies beneath the surface — the part that isn’t always visible to others but is critical to the success of the team. This includes:

1. Hands-On Coding: Being an active contributor to the codebase ensures you stay grounded in the technical challenges your team faces. It’s about writing code that sets an example for quality and maintainability.
2. Pull Request (PR) Reviews: Providing thoughtful feedback on PRs isn’t just about catching bugs — it’s about mentoring, guiding, and ensuring alignment with the team’s technical direction.
3. Design Work: Creating scalable, efficient, and forward-looking system designs that solve complex problems while balancing immediate needs with long-term goals.
4. Collaboration Across Functions: Working closely with Product, UX, Analytics, and Project Managers ensures that the technical solutions align with business goals and deliver meaningful outcomes.
5. Collaborating with Engineers: Whether it’s Frontend (FE) or Backend (BE) developers, fostering a culture of knowledge sharing and teamwork is essential.
6. Contributing to the Dev Community: Sharing learnings, tools, and insights with teams beyond your own strengthens the broader engineering culture and helps drive innovation.
7. Delivering Outcomes with Your Team: Ultimately, it’s about working with your team to ship features, solve problems, and create impact — measurable results that move the needle.

The Visible Part of the Iceberg (B): The Art of Leadership

While the hands-on work is foundational, a Tech Lead’s role is also highly visible in their ability to lead and inspire. The part above the water — what everyone sees — is equally important:

1. Driving Agile Ceremonies: Leading standups, grooming, and planning sessions isn’t just about managing schedules — it’s about creating clarity, fostering alignment, and empowering the team to take ownership of their work.
2. Motivating Teams in Group Settings: Your energy and presence during discussions can inspire both engineering and non-engineering teammates to stay focused on delivering outcomes. Great Tech Leads know how to bring out the best in everyone.
3. Carrying Yourself in Leadership Discussions: In meetings with senior stakeholders, how you present ideas, advocate for your team, and navigate challenges reflects your ability to bridge technical and strategic priorities.

Conclusion: Tech Lead = A + B

Being a Tech Lead means excelling in both the technical (A) and leadership (B) domains.

• Ignore A, and you lose the trust of your team as a hands-on leader.
• Neglect B, and you miss the opportunity to inspire, align, and elevate your team’s performance.

Don’t forget to do B because in many organizations you as a tech lead assume that your fellow scrum-master (if you have one) or your fellow product manager will do it this.

A is the foundation/base of the iceberg and those skills are the technical skills that take years to develop. On the other hand, part B is the something that can be coached in a shorter duration but still requires a lot of dedication.

Tech Leads are hired not only for their hands-on technical expertise but also for their ability to provide valuable opinions, foster collaboration, and motivate their teams to deliver exceptional outcomes. Balancing both sides of the iceberg is what makes a Tech Lead truly impactful.

Are you mastering both parts of your iceberg?

Thank you for reading this article. Keep geeking out!

Almir Mustafic