WindrunManaging a team of twenty developers sounds exciting on paper—until the first wave of bugs, deadlines, and miscommunications hit you all at once. Leading developers is a balancing act: you’re part mentor, part firefighter, part comedian, and part therapist. If you’re not careful, your sanity will vanish faster than a production server after a bad deploy. Over the years, I’ve developed my own “sanity hacks” that help me stay focused, keep the team motivated, and avoid burnout. Here are my top strategies for leading a large group of developers without losing my mind.
1. Structure Over Chaos
Developers thrive on clarity. When twenty people work on different modules, priorities can quickly get lost in translation. I use clear roadmaps, sprint goals, and lightweight documentation. Think of it as giving everyone a map before they dive into the jungle of code. Structure prevents endless “what are we doing?” meetings and keeps me from playing babysitter 24/7.
2. The Humor Factor
Stress in IT is inevitable. That’s why I use humor as a leadership tool. Whether it’s turning a critical bug into a meme, or joking about how our coffee budget is bigger than our test coverage, laughter creates bonding. Developers respect leaders who can be serious when needed but also lighten the mood. Bonus: humor is the fastest way to defuse conflict before it becomes toxic.
3. Delegate Like a Pro
With twenty developers, micromanagement is suicide. Instead, I assign ownership. Each developer is the “mini-CEO” of their feature or module. This builds accountability, reduces bottlenecks, and allows me to focus on strategy instead of chasing every commit. Trust me, when you stop micromanaging, your sanity level goes up immediately.
4. Daily Rituals: Coffee, Chocolate, and Check-ins
Every team has its fuel. For us, it’s coffee and occasional chocolate “bribes.” But the real hack is short, daily check-ins. I don’t need a two-hour stand-up. Ten minutes is enough to align everyone and spot red flags. Combine that with caffeine, and you have a ritual that keeps energy high and miscommunication low.
5. Protect Your Energy
Leading a team this size is emotionally draining if you don’t set boundaries. I block out focus hours, avoid back-to-back meetings, and make time for life outside work—like playing with my dog, gaming, or just being “dad.” If I’m running on empty, the team feels it. Protecting your own energy is the ultimate hack for sustainable leadership.
6. Celebrate Small Wins
When twenty developers push features weekly, it’s easy to miss the progress. That’s why I celebrate even the small victories: a clean deploy, a clever solution, or even a funny commit message. Recognition keeps motivation alive, and motivated developers need less “managing.”
Final Thoughts
Leading twenty developers is not about control—it’s about balance. You balance deadlines with mental health, structure with creativity, seriousness with humor. These sanity hacks helped me stay effective while keeping the human side of leadership intact. At the end of the day, your team remembers not just what you built, but how they felt working with you.
Sanity is possible. You just need the right hacks.
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