Things I've learned in my 10 years as an engineering manager
18 days ago
- #leadership
- #team-building
- #engineering-management
- The engineering manager role is not well-defined and varies based on team needs across Product, Process, People, and Programming.
- Everyone on the team should care about the product, not just the PM, to ensure the work delivers user value.
- Processes should be continuously evaluated to avoid bloat and ensure they serve the team rather than becoming the focus.
- Transparency is crucial when communicating downward to maintain trust and clarity within the team.
- Communicating upward requires a strategy, presenting clear context, problems, plans, and needed support to executives.
- A manager's role is 10% player, 30% coach, and 60% cheerleader, focusing on team output, growth, and morale.
- Managers should aim for their team to function well without them, avoiding becoming a bottleneck.
- Trust in the team is essential; micromanagement indicates a lack of trust that needs addressing.
- Trust but verify using both quantitative and qualitative metrics to support and understand team performance.
- Delegation is key; managers should avoid holding onto projects for comfort, identity, or fear reasons.
- Risk management should be balanced; being overly risk-averse can lead to missed opportunities and slow processes.