How to advance?

[russellbcopeland]

I'm a programmer who has been developing in VB (and now VB.Net) for about 9 years. I have just recently started working at a new company in a position that was supposed to be a lead position but I don't have a team to lead. I seem to have been placed as a programmer. I do get a good bit of automony with what I build but see no path to moving up.

What I am looking for is advice on how to get to the position where I am running a development team. I know I have the skills and experience to be very successful running a team but seem to be having a problem making the jump from grunt to leader.

I'd like to be able to make this advancement at the company I am at but realize that it may involve a move after a few years (I have a policy of staying at any company for a minimum of 3 years if at all reasonable to do so. -Please tell me if this is a bad policy!)

How do I get from here to there? How do I get my current or next employer to take me seriously as a candidate for being in charge of a group?

 

[HeWhoRoams]

I think the best way is to just ask for leadership.
Approach your supervisor or something, and ask to be in charge of a project (providing a specific project will help a lot)

Try this a few times, and site this leadership around review time.
If this doesn't do the trick, start looking for another job where you are the team leader

 

[jaymaechtlen]

(I assume there are teams or groups of programmers there, and you are not 'the' programmer.)

How are new projects started at that company?
What kind of pipeline or process is used for the projects?
How many project groups currently exist, and what kinds of group leaders do those groups have?

regards
Jay