This. The leader is the target and his/her actions will be scrutinized and critisized. Yet if you build upon your team and create mutual trust, people will fol

This. The leader is the target and his/her actions will be scrutinized and critisized. Yet if you build upon your team and create mutual trust, people will follow you and work really hard. That's the rewarding part of the job. Regarding higher-ups, you have to choose wisely, most of the time it's very difficult because you give them what they want, but it costs a lot of time, energy and money. Be pedagogic, explain, and explain. The most difficult part is when you want to take action that doesn't give reward instantly (CI/refactoring/...). Until they've been bitten by this, they won't understand. But you won't know beforehand, so ask the question in interviews ! Promote your best teammates eagerly and give them responsibilities. Share as much information as possible with the team. Enforce collective decision processes based on technical merit and cost (RFC-style), to rally everyone to the chosen solution.