I am an engineer at heart and believe in leading by example, which, in the case of development teams, means understanding the product and staying close to the architecture and the codebase.
I became an engineer because I wanted to solve problems and build new things. Twenty years later, this hasn't changed. I love challenging, direct and honest discussion focused on finding the best solution. In our fast-paced world and competition, the "best" solution isn't always the best one technically, pragmatism is important.
When leading a team, I encourage team members to participate, exchange, share ideas. I might be wrong and, if I am, please let me know!
I also believe in setting clear, challenging yet achievable goals that can rally the entire team.