The Myth of the Coding Test for Leaders
In the quiet corners of tech conference rooms and the sterile environments of interview spaces, a peculiar ritual has taken root. Senior engineering leaders are increasingly being asked to prove their worth through coding tests—a practice that fundamentally misunderstands the essence of technical leadership.
My journey through technology leadership spans a dozen years, a path that has wound through diverse technological landscapes. I've led teams building software I wrote line by line, guided groups navigating unfamiliar tech stacks, and even steered teams exploring complex domains like mechanical and thermal dynamics. Each experience taught me that true leadership transcends the ability to write a perfect algorithm or debug a tricky piece of code.
The most dangerous assumption in technical leadership is the belief that expertise means understanding. When leaders arrive with deep technical knowledge, they inadvertently create barriers. They hear explanations through the filter of their own experience, unconsciously reducing the rich, nuanced conversations that drive true innovation. Their assumed understanding becomes a lens that distorts rather than clarifies.
Contrast this with a leader who approaches a team with genuine curiosity. Without the comfort of technical expertise, such a leader must listen—truly listen. They ask questions not to validate their own knowledge, but to understand the intricate decision-making processes of their team. They create space for technical dialogue that is honest, open, and transformative.
I've watched teams where leaders believed their technical background made them omniscient. Communication becomes a one-way street. Decisions are made with subtle undertones of "I know best," slowly eroding team creativity and psychological safety. In contrast, teams led by those with minimal technical expertise in the specific domain become collaborative laboratories of innovation. These leaders must rely on their team's expertise, creating an environment of mutual respect and shared discovery.
The real measure of a technical leader is not found in their ability to write code in the moment, but in their capacity to orchestrate complex technological symphonies. Can they articulate a vision that inspires? Can they create alignment across diverse technical perspectives? Can they make strategic decisions that balance technical elegance with business reality?
Organizations seeking to assess technical leadership should look beyond coding proficiency. They should explore a leader's ability to navigate complexity, build high-performing teams, and drive meaningful technological innovation. A conversation about architectural decisions, a deep dive into previous project challenges, an exploration of how they've developed technical talent—these reveal far more than any coding test ever could.
In the end, technical leadership is an art of human connection. It's about creating environments where technology becomes more than lines of code—where it becomes a vehicle for solving complex human challenges. The best leaders don't write the most elegant code; they create the conditions where the most elegant solutions can emerge.
