Don't estimate for your team.

I used to look at a ticket, do the math in my head, and tell the team it would take two days. I was wrong every single time.

Not because my math was bad. Because I wasn't the one doing the work.

As an engineer, you know how long something takes you. The trap is assuming that number applies to anyone else. It doesn't. People work at different speeds. They have different context. They hit different walls.

When you hand someone an estimate they didn't make, you've set a deadline they never agreed to. That breeds resentment. It breeds burnout. And worst of all, it kills ownership -- because now they're working to your number, not their commitment.

I learned to ask instead: "How long do you think this will take?" Then I shut up and listen. Sometimes the answer surprises me. Sometimes it's way longer than I'd estimate. That's fine. The person doing the work understands the work better than I do.

Your job as a lead isn't to estimate. It's to create the conditions where your team can estimate honestly -- without fear of being judged for it.