Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about how we can make our teams work better — not just as leaders, but as people who genuinely want to contribute with efficiency, empathy, and purpose. I believe that no matter what role you have on a team, you can positively influence how the team operates, creating an environment where growth, support, and productivity thrive together.
Last year, I watched a talk by Phil Calçado called “Tudo que eu queria saber antes de virar um líder técnico” (“Everything I Wish I Knew Before Becoming a Tech Lead”). What struck me wasn’t just the leadership advice — it was the challenge he posed: being part of the solution starts long before you have a formal title. When you see something broken — a confusing process, a risky decision, or a lack of documentation — you can either wait for someone else to fix it or choose to act.
This reminded me of something Kent Beck once wrote about XP. He compared software development to a control panel full of dials and knobs — and the real skill is in learning how to fine-tune them carefully. Sometimes we don’t need to rewrite the whole system. We just need to adjust a few key settings — like a well-tuned overdrive pedal that doesn’t just boost volume, but enhances clarity and tone.
Helping your team become more efficient doesn’t require permission. It starts with the little things: reviewing someone’s pull request even if it’s not in your backlog, writing a quick summary in the team chat to help others understand a tricky system, giving thoughtful feedback when you see something that could be better. That’s how you build culture. That’s how you become a multiplier.
You don’t have to wait for someone to tell you it’s your job to do this. Team culture is shaped more by daily behaviors than by team-building sessions. When people see you caring about documentation, investing time to help unblock others, or sharing your own doubts transparently, it invites them to do the same. It’s like hitting the first chord that helps the whole band tune in.
In the best teams I’ve seen, no one carried the burden alone, and no one hid behind their specialty to avoid contributing. Everyone helped the team move forward, and that created a virtuous cycle of growth. Learning to be part of that — that’s the real “overdrive pedal” we need. Not something that makes us louder, but something that gives us clarity, energy, and direction.
If you want to grow, contribute, and be part of something meaningful, start right where you are. Adjust the knobs you can reach. Speak up when things go well. Ask how you can help. Suggest small improvements. Document something you learned today. Be the spark that propels your team. And invite others to do the same.
True leadership doesn’t wait for permission — it emerges when we choose to be part of the solution, regardless of our title.
Originally posted as a reminder that leadership starts long before a title — and collaboration is the soil where team efficiency grows.