What does the journey from a great specialist to an effective team leader really look like? In this episode of On the Edge by E1S, we dive into the real behind-the-scenes of leadership in IT: building trust, delegating tasks, and those moments when the thought “I’ll just do it myself” feels dangerously tempting.
Listen as experienced leaders — Jakub Pyda (E1S, Allegro) and Jakub Paczkowski (BusinessPilot, Zwinny Księgowy, Opanuj AI) — share their insights and practical advice for anyone standing at the threshold of a leadership role.
🎧 Tune in now and learn how to take your first step from expert to leader!
Listen now on:
Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/episode/3vZQRRC1IKVA6gY0gfcO5h
Youtube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FcoH9JNY3xA
*Podcast only available in Polish.
How to effectively manage an IT team? Delegation, feedback and autonomy in practice
Managing an IT team is one of the most demanding areas in modern organizations. Leaders need to understand technology, people, and business — all while creating an environment where specialists can work efficiently and develop their skills.
This challenge requires a technical leader to possess not only strong technical knowledge but also soft skills: mindfulness, communication abilities, and a conscious approach to collaboration.
In practice, three areas determine leadership effectiveness in IT: delegation, feedback, and team autonomy. Each is equally important — and each can help or hinder if not properly addressed.
Let’s take a closer look.
Why managing an IT team is so specific?
Tech teams operate differently from most departments in an organization. This is due to several factors:
1. High level of specialization
Developers, testers, and data engineers have skills that a leader cannot fully replicate. This makes micromanagement not only ineffective but nearly impossible.
2. Project and technology variability
New frameworks, architectures, libraries, and dependencies emerge faster than in most industries. Teams must therefore operate in a state of constant adaptation.
3. Creative, not repetitive work
Coding is an analytical, creative, and non-linear process. It’s not a checklist of tasks — it’s problem-solving. This requires freedom and trust.
4. High sensitivity to communication quality
Unclear backlogs, vague requirements, ambiguous sprint goals, or lack of feedback can stall a project for weeks.
This is why effective IT leadership is not about control but about organizing space for independent and responsible work.
Delegation in IT – why it’s difficult and how to do it well?
Delegation is one of the key tools for technical leaders but also one of the most common pitfalls. In IT, skill gaps among team members can be significant — a task that takes a senior developer an hour may take a junior several days.
Common delegation mistakes in IT:
❌ Too much freedom at the start
“I’ll give the whole module to the senior; they know what to do.”
Works — only if the goals and architecture constraints are clearly understood.
❌ Too much control on simple tasks
“I’ll do it myself; it’ll be faster.”
Kills motivation and prevents skill development.
❌ Same level of delegation for everyone
“Everyone gets tasks from the backlog in order.”
Each developer has different strengths — ignoring this diversity causes frustration.
5 rules for effective delegation in IT
1. Match tasks to skills and personality
Seniors handle ambiguity and responsibility well. Juniors need smaller steps and clear expectations.
2. Don’t delegate without context
Developers need to know “why”, not just “what”. Business goals are as important as technical requirements.
3. Set clear expectations:
scope
deadlines
acceptance criteria
impact on the project
4. Plan check-points
Don’t micromanage — check in and support. Short, regular sync calls prevent problems.
5. Give responsibility, but don’t leave the team alone
Delegation is a relationship: “You deliver, I support and remove obstacles.”
Technical feedback in IT – how to make it motivating?
Feedback is essential in IT because developers’ work is complex and prone to errors. The most important feedback moment is during code review.
Benefits of good code reviews:
higher code quality
architectural consistency
faster error detection
skill development
building leader credibility
Consequences of poor code reviews:
decreased motivation
feeling judged
conflicts
frustration
How to provide effective technical feedback?
1. Start with positives
Highlight good technical decisions:
new approaches
improved performance
sensible code structure
2. Give concrete suggestions, not vague comments
❌ “The code is unreadable”
✔ “Could this method be simplified by splitting it into smaller functions?”
3. Explain your decisions
Refer to good practices, design patterns or business consequences.
4. Ask for the author’s perspective
“What assumptions did you make in this implementation?”
5. Maintain a supportive culture
Feedback should support, not judge.
Autonomy in IT teams – the key to high performance
Autonomous teams often achieve the best results. Why? Developers enjoy independence, experimentation, and choosing technical solutions themselves.
Autonomy doesn’t make lack of control
It’s a consciously designed space where everyone:
understands the goals
can make decisions
influences the project
Benefits of autonomy:
faster technical decisions
increased responsibility
higher morale
less micromanagement
creative, innovative solutions
Biggest challenges for IT leaders and how to address them
1. The temptation of micromanagement
Technical leaders are often former seniors, naturally wanting to take over tasks.
Solution: consciously step back, rely on clear agreements and check-points.
2. “I’ll do it faster and better” mindset
Psychologically natural, but harmful to team growth.
Solution: mentoring and education instead of doing the work yourself.
3. Working with low-engagement team members
Happens in every team.
Solution:
diagnose
individual conversation
feedback
goal setting
optionally a PIP (performance improvement plan)
4. Leader loneliness
Leaders often hide doubts, especially from the team.
Solution: regular 1:1, partnership-based communication, support from another leader or mentor.
How to effectively manage na IT team
Managing IT is not just about tools — it’s about working with people. An effective leader:
✔ delegates responsibly
according to skills, personality, and experience.
✔ provides constructive feedback,
especially in code reviews.
✔ creates a space for autonomy,
allowing the team to make decisions.
✔ maintains relationships
through 1:1s, clear communication, and partnership.
✔ supports growth
instead of doing the work for the team.
This set of practices builds independent, motivated teams resilient to change — while delivering high-quality technological solutions.
Summary
Effective IT team management is a balance between trust and responsibility, autonomy and support, delegation and control. A technical leader who combines these elements builds a team that not only delivers valuable products but also grows within a healthy, collaborative culture.
