Why Developers Avoid/Regret Being Leaders #1: Less flow!

Transitioning from a developer to a leadership role is often touted as a natural progression in one’s career. However, many developers hesitate or even regret that decision.

In this first piece on the topic, I will share a neuroscientific and psychological reason that lies in the fundamental differences between coding and leading, which was actually discovered by "accident".

The Quest for Happiness

Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, a psychologist, aimed to understand true happiness, sparked by observing resilience during World War II. His research focused on what makes people deeply satisfied and engaged in their activities.

Discovering Flow

Through extensive interviews with artists, athletes, musicians, and scientists, Mihaly identified a common experience, which he named "Flow State", characterized by:

1. Total Immersion: People are happiest when fully absorbed in an activity.
2. Balance of Challenge and Skill: Flow occurs when the challenge of a task matches one’s skill level.
3. Clear Goals and Immediate Feedback: These elements are crucial for maintaining engagement.
4. Intrinsic Reward: Activities that induce flow are intrinsically rewarding, done for sheer enjoyment.

According to Csikszentmihalyi's research, this "Flow State" is highly enjoyable and rewarding, an essential component of happiness:

• ??More moments of Flow State = Happier Life ?
• ??Less or no moments of Flow State = Unhappier Life ?

The Dopamine Hits of Coding

As developers, we thrive on the satisfaction that comes from solving problems and seeing immediate results. Whether it’s writing a new function, debugging an error, or optimizing a piece of code, each task offers a tangible outcome. The process of coding is inherently structured to provide frequent, rewarding feedback:

1. Facing a New Challenge: Every new task or bug is like a mini-boss in a video game, waiting to be defeated. ???
2. Compiling Code: The act of compiling is our “save point” – it tells us if we’re on the right track.
3. Running and Executing Code: Watching our code execute successfully is like nailing a trick shot in a game – immensely satisfying! ??
4. Debugging: Even when things go wrong, the process of debugging and eventually solving the problem is akin to finally finding that missing piece of the puzzle.

Each of these steps releases dopamine, the neurotransmitter associated with pleasure and reward, creating a cycle of continuous motivation and satisfaction.

The Unpredictability of Leadership

In contrast, leadership is a domain fraught with uncertainty. As leaders, we deal with human elements that are far less predictable than code. The challenges are complex, multifaceted, and often lack clear solutions. The dopamine hits we experienced as developers are now sparse and irregular. Here’s why:

1. Lack of Immediate Feedback: Unlike coding, where results are immediate, the outcomes of leadership decisions often take time to manifest. It’s like planting a tree and waiting for it to bear fruit… in a few years.
2. Uncontrollable Variables: In leadership, many factors are beyond our control. Team dynamics, individual performance, and external pressures are just a few of the unpredictable elements – it’s like herding cats, but harder.
3. Delayed Gratification: Achievements in leadership, such as team success or project completion, are long-term goals that don’t provide the frequent rewards developers are used to. Imagine waiting for a software update that takes months instead of minutes.

Less Flow, Less Enjoyable!

If happiness is generally characterized by the presence and number of moments you spend in the Flow State, moving from Coder to Leader directly impacts this "variable", and not in a good way ??.

As the research indicates, a balance between Challenge and Skill must exist to achieve "Flow State":

• Skill too high, it becomes boring ??!
• Skill too low, it becomes stressful and frustrating ??!

Since many new leaders never go through the tutorial levels on "How to become a Leader?", the task difficulty bumps to "Dark Souls" levels of challenge!

On top of that, as a Leader, the goals can be unclear, and feedback is delayed or non-existent. This mismatch makes it difficult for leaders to achieve flow, leading to lower overall job satisfaction.

So what do we do?

Understanding why developers struggle moving from coder to leader, can help you find ways to make the process smoother. Here are a few strategies:

1. Training and Development: Get the skills needed for the complex and unpredictable role.
2. Mentorship: Find experienced leaders for guidance and feedback.
3. Celebrating Small Wins: Individually or with your teams, and get those dopamine hits. ??
4. Coding (why not?): I automated some boring Leader tasks and upgraded my online meetings.

Conclusion

Understanding the concept of Flow and what are the conditions to achieve it allows you to identify why you dislike being a leader so much.

It will never be the same as coding, nevertheless, it can become more enjoyable by bridging the skill gap, or even finding some time for your developer "persona" to come out again!

How do you feel about this? And what other reasons do you have to "dislike" being a leader instead of a coder?