I think a lot of people have answered well. Working hard, and learning all of the positions that a Lead has to manage – from Interns up through Sr. Designers, and how to leverage all of their abilities. How to teach each of them, and how to help each of them succeed.
Being able to mentor all of these roles, and help them all advance is very important, because as a Lead, part of the big picture isn’t just to make projects a success, it’s to also create other Leads through example. Managers do it from a distance, Leads do it by direct contact.
The other thing other people have brought up here is the big picture of the project, the product or application. Leads have to have a solid understanding of both the users and the business goals of their clients, and then orchestrate that vision.
One last thing I’d like to add is protecting your team's time. I can’t remember where I read this, but if I can keep people out of meetings who are doing the actual production work I will. Especially if it’s a client that’s challenging or it’s a meeting that’s super pointless. I’m terrible at sports, but I try to be that guy that just sets other people up to score. Background player. Don’t be a glory hog. Give all the credit to your team.
I think a lot of people have answered well. Working hard, and learning all of the positions that a Lead has to manage – from Interns up through Sr. Designers, and how to leverage all of their abilities. How to teach each of them, and how to help each of them succeed.
Being able to mentor all of these roles, and help them all advance is very important, because as a Lead, part of the big picture isn’t just to make projects a success, it’s to also create other Leads through example. Managers do it from a distance, Leads do it by direct contact.
The other thing other people have brought up here is the big picture of the project, the product or application. Leads have to have a solid understanding of both the users and the business goals of their clients, and then orchestrate that vision.
One last thing I’d like to add is protecting your team's time. I can’t remember where I read this, but if I can keep people out of meetings who are doing the actual production work I will. Especially if it’s a client that’s challenging or it’s a meeting that’s super pointless. I’m terrible at sports, but I try to be that guy that just sets other people up to score. Background player. Don’t be a glory hog. Give all the credit to your team.