How do I know if I'm ready to move from individual contributor to team lead?

[Charles57]

I’ve been offered a promotion that would move me from an individual contributor role into managing the team I currently work with. I’m confident in my technical skills, but I’m really unsure about making that jump to people leadership, especially with colleagues who are my peers right now. How do you know if you’re ready for that kind of shift?

[MichaelFL]

I took the leap last year and treated it like learning to coach, not just manage. I kept my hands in the technical work but started with real one on one chats, clear expectations, and letting the team own decisions. After two months our sprint velocity stayed steady and the team shared more ideas in code reviews.

[Michael.L]

I tried mentoring a peer and felt the friction right away. I overcorrected, gave too much direction, and then stepped back because I worried I was losing touch with the work. I kept notes, but I’m not sure if I was ready for feedback dynamics or if I should have handled it differently.

[Paul_L]

Maybe the real problem is whether the team is aligned on goals, not whether I’m ready to lead?

[LoganEL]

I said yes too quickly and am now juggling too many balls. I asked for a mentor, set calendar blocks to coach, and tracked escalations. The number of escalations didn’t drop in the first month, which was a hint that I needed more support or a different approach.