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What Really Makes a Great Engineering Manager

This post kicks off a series aimed at aspiring engineering managers, focusing on the skills that truly differentiate effective leaders from simply good coders. While technical expertise is valuable, leading a team requires a different skillset. We'll explore how to build trust, empower your team, and create an environment where engineers can thrive.

The Three Pillars of Engineering Leadership​

Effective engineering leadership rests on three core pillars: People, Process, and Perspective. Let’s dive into each one.

1. People: Building Trust and Empowering Your Team​

The foundation of any successful team is strong relationships built on trust and respect. This means prioritizing your people, fostering psychological safety, and championing their growth.

  • Fostering Psychological Safety: Create an environment where team members feel comfortable taking risks, sharing ideas (even dissenting ones), and admitting mistakes without fear of retribution. This can be achieved by actively soliciting different perspectives, normalizing failure as a learning opportunity, and responding constructively to errors. For example, instead of focusing blame when a bug slips through, focus on understanding why it happened and how to prevent it in the future.
  • Championing Growth: Invest in your team's development. Understand their career aspirations and provide opportunities for them to learn and grow. This could include mentorship, training courses, conference attendance, or simply providing challenging assignments that stretch their skills.
  • Effective 1:1s: Prioritize regular one-on-one meetings with each team member. The most impactful 1:1s focus less on task updates and more on understanding each individual’s career goals and motivations. These meetings should be a safe space for open communication, feedback, and problem-solving. (We'll delve deeper into the art of effective 1:1s in the next post!)
  • What Not To Do: Micromanaging or dismissing concerns. Empower your team to own their work and trust their judgment.

2. Process: Streamlining Work and Removing Roadblocks​

While not the most exciting aspect of leadership, effective processes are crucial for enabling your team to deliver high-quality work efficiently.

  • Empowering Ownership: Give your team the autonomy to make decisions about their work. Clearly define goals and expectations, but avoid dictating how those goals should be achieved.
    • What Not To Do: Regularly check in on progress without asking if support is needed.
  • Removing Roadblocks: Proactively identify and eliminate obstacles that are hindering your team's progress. This could involve resolving dependencies, securing necessary resources, or advocating for changes to processes or tooling.
  • Streamlining Workflows: Continuously evaluate and improve your team's workflows. Look for opportunities to automate repetitive tasks, reduce friction, and improve collaboration.
  • Avoiding Process Overload: Avoid applying processes rigidly, simply for the sake of following a procedure. Processes should serve the team, not the other way around.
  • What Not To Do: Implementing complex processes without explaining their benefits or getting buy-in from the team.

3. Perspective: Understanding the Bigger Picture​

Great engineering leaders don't just focus on technical details; they understand how their team's work contributes to the broader business objectives.

  • Connecting to Business Goals: Explain how each feature or project directly impacts key business metrics. Involve engineers in product roadmap discussions to help them understand the “why” behind their work.
  • Strategic Thinking: Help your team anticipate future challenges and opportunities. Encourage them to think beyond immediate tasks and consider the long-term implications of their decisions.
  • Communication & Transparency: Keep your team informed about company-wide updates, strategic priorities, and any changes that may affect their work. Transparency builds trust and fosters a sense of shared purpose.
  • Understanding User Needs: Advocate for a user-centric approach to product development. Encourage your team to empathize with end-users and prioritize features that deliver real value.
  • What Not To Do: Isolating your team from the broader business context.

As Sanjay Chaudhuri points out, understanding the “why” behind the work empowers engineers and increases their engagement. Darek Potchebut accurately observes that aligning engineering efforts with overall business goals is critical for success. Simply put, helping your team see the impact of their work is a powerful motivator.

Refining Your Skills – It’s an Ongoing Journey​

Becoming an effective engineering leader is not a one-time achievement; it’s an ongoing journey of learning and refinement. Whether you’re a seasoned manager or just starting out, there’s always room for growth.

What's Next?​

In the next post, we’ll delve deeper into the art of effective 1:1s – a cornerstone of strong engineering leadership. We'll explore techniques for building rapport, providing constructive feedback, and fostering a culture of open communication.