Tips for Transitioning to Engineering Management

What I Wish I Knew as an Engineering Manager When I transitioned from being an engineer to an engineering manager, it felt like I had walked into a new game—except no one handed me the rulebook. At first, I tried to apply the same principles that made me successful as an engineer: focus on technical problems, write great code, and aim for perfection. But I quickly realized… those skills weren’t enough. Leadership is a completely different challenge. It’s not about being the smartest in the room or solving every problem yourself. It’s about empowering others, navigating ambiguity, and creating an environment where the team thrives. Here are a few hard truths I’ve learned along the way: 1. Your success is no longer measured by what you deliver—it’s about what your team achieves. Early on, I held onto tasks because it felt safer. But the real impact comes when you step back and let the team take the lead. It’s uncomfortable at first, but seeing someone grow because you gave them space? That’s the real reward. 2. You’re debugging humans now, not code. If your team isn’t aligned or a project stalls, the problem isn’t always technical—it’s often rooted in communication, trust, or clarity of roles. Learning to spot these “bugs” and resolve them is the real skill of management. 3. Decisions don’t have to be perfect, but they have to be made. As engineers, we’re trained to seek the “right” solution. But as managers, waiting for perfect clarity often means missed opportunities. Sometimes, you just need to make the best call with the data you have and adjust as you go. 4. Meetings aren’t the enemy—they’re your new codebase. I used to think meetings were distractions. Now, I see them as where the real work happens. Every meeting is an opportunity to align, resolve conflicts, and steer the team toward success. 5. Feedback is the most powerful tool in your arsenal. Giving feedback isn’t just about improving performance—it’s about building trust. When you do it consistently and thoughtfully, it transforms your relationship with the team. Becoming an engineering manager isn’t just a career shift—it’s a mindset shift. You’re not there to “control” the team; you’re there to guide them, learn from them, and create the conditions where they can do their best work. Which of these lessons resonates with you? Or what advice do you wish you’d known earlier in your management journey? #Leadership #EngineeringManagement #GrowthMindset

6 things I wish I knew about management before I became an EM: 1. Your calendar is no longer your own. The job is 70% context switching between tactical work and strategic thinking. Block focus time on your calendar religiously. You'll need it :) 2. Technical excellence alone won't cut it. Your ability to influence, communicate vision, and build trust across the organization matters far more than your coding skills. At this stage my team's coding skills are far beyond mine, and that's great. I can still hold high-level technical conversations but I let them own the ultimate implementation. 3. You'll write less code (sometimes no code, like myself!), but your impact multiplies. Success is now measured by your team's output, not your own individual contributions. If you're a high achiever like myself, you may have to find a new way to measure your own impact. 4. Tough conversations never get easier—you just get better at having them. Learning to give (and receive) clear, constructive feedback is a skill you'll constantly build. (I teach an entire module on feedback in my course for this reason!) 5. Being decisive amid uncertainty is a critical part of the job. Perfect information doesn't exist—you'll need to make calls with incomplete data. Your team is often looking for answers you may not feel fully confident about. You need to acknowledge and own that discomfort. 6. Your team's growth is your growth. The best engineering leaders focus on creating more leaders. Helping your individual contributors build influence builds your own influence in return. Being in engineering leadership is never easy as you move from managing projects to people, but it's so incredibly worth it.

Leading a team is incredibly draining. When I transitioned to management at Google a few years ago, the sheer scope of responsibility was a shock. Suddenly, my role involved constant difficult conversations, handling escalations, mediating people conflicts, negotiating with other teams, supporting struggling team members , and taking full ownership of all team results. 🫣 Feeling overwhelmed and questioning career choices is a common experience for new managers. What I found most helpful was focusing on my team's growth and development; that's the key. Just some extra tips that might be helpful: 1) Put your own oxygen mask on first: You can't solve problems for others if you're running on empty. Find your reset buttons, re-energize, and commit to showing up.  2) Seek and give advice relentlessly: Both solicit feedback about your own performance and provide constructive, regular feedback to your team. It's the fuel for growth. 3) Find your tribe: Build a strong network of allies and coaches outside your direct reporting line. These are your sounding boards, your confidantes, and your cheerleaders. 4) Trust, Empower, and Delegate: You can't do everything. Trust your team, empower them, and delegate effectively. It's not just about offloading tasks; it's about developing your team members.  5) Embrace vulnerability: It's OK not to have all the answers. Being vulnerable with your team (appropriately, of course) can build trust and psychological safety. 6) Celebrate small wins: The big wins are great, but acknowledge the small, consistent efforts from your team. It keeps morale high and momentum going.

Transitioning from Peer to Manager: Advice for Success A conversation with a new manager reminded me of the challenges when transitioning from peer to leader. It’s not uncommon for subtle changes in tone or behavior to cause tension or mistrust. The key is navigating this thoughtfully to maintain relationships and ensure team success. Here’s my advice for new managers stepping into this role: 1. Acknowledge the Shift Be transparent about the new dynamic. Recognize the adjustment for both you and your team, and invite open dialogue to build trust. 2. Prioritize One-on-One Conversations Meet individually with team members to understand their perspectives. Ask questions like: "What’s one thing I can do to support you better?" 3. Stay True to Yourself You were promoted for a reason. Don’t feel pressured to adopt a different tone or style. Authenticity builds trust. 4. Avoid Overcorrecting Resist the urge to make sweeping changes or assert authority too quickly. Focus on collaboration and gradual improvements. 5. Share Your Vision Communicate your goals for the team and how you’ll support their success. Show them you’re focused on shared outcomes. 6. Model the Behavior You Expect Set the tone through your own actions, whether it’s professionalism, teamwork, or problem-solving. 7. Set Boundaries Respectfully Redefine relationships while maintaining a professional and respectful tone. Boundaries help reinforce your leadership role. 8. Embrace Emotional Intelligence Pay attention to how your team feels. Practice active listening, observe body language, and create a safe space for honest feedback. 9. Celebrate Team Successes Acknowledge and share wins to show your investment in their growth. 10. Commit to Continuous Learning Seek feedback and refine your approach. Leadership is an ongoing journey, and growth is part of the process. The transition to leadership is about building trust, staying collaborative, and focusing on the team’s needs. With authenticity and empathy, you can make this shift a win for everyone. What advice would you share with someone stepping into a leadership role? 👇

Leadership is easy. You just use your knowledge to tell the team what to do… … Right? This is what I thought years ago when I transitioned from being a senior engineer to leading a team as an engineering manager. I thought I’d cracked the code: just apply my technical expertise, guide the team, and voilà--success! Spoiler alert: I was wrong. The game was fundamentally different. No longer could I just “fix” things by diving into the code or tweaking the architecture. My role had shifted, and so did the skills required to succeed. This challenge compounded when I became a director. I had to scale myself as a leader, and trust me, it wasn’t easy. Here are three lessons I’ve learned along the way that might help you transition from an IC role to a leadership position: 1) Develop Strategic Thinking While Letting Go of the Day-to-Day As a senior IC, it’s all about diving deep into the details. But as an exec, your focus needs to shift to the bigger picture. Think about where your team and organization need to be 1, 3, or even 5 years from now. Step back and empower others to own the day-to-day work. Provide clarity on the “why” and “what,” and let your team handle the “how.” It isn’t “hands-off” leadership--it’s “hands-available-when-needed.” 2) Build Influence Across Teams and Stakeholders Influence isn’t just about giving great presentations (though that helps). It’s about building relationships and trust across functions--product, marketing, finance, you name it. You need to connect the dots between departments and align everyone toward a common goal. One of the most valuable lessons I learned was that your ability to lead doesn’t depend on your authority; it’s about your ability to influence without authority. 3) Maintain Technical Credibility While Empowering Others Here’s the tricky part: As a technical leader, you can’t lose touch with your technical foundation, but you also can’t write all the code or design every system. Stay informed by asking the right questions and understanding the trade-offs your team is considering. This way, you can provide guidance without micromanaging. The best leaders balance credibility with trust, creating space for their teams to grow and thrive. Going from IC to exec isn’t just about a new title or responsibilities. It’s about fundamentally changing how you think, work, and lead. It’s hard--but it’s worth it. Leaders- what lessons did you learn as you transitioned into leadership? ICs- If you’re preparing to take that step, what challenges are you facing? Drop your thoughts in the comments--I’d love to hear your perspective.

Someone who is moving into leadership recently asked me what I wish I knew as a new manager. After typing it out, I thought it might be useful to someone else as well. Feel free to add your contributions or something I missed below: 1) Leadership is a totally different skillset than anything technical. It is deserving of study just like technical and other skills 2) People will always have competing priorities, or may not see the value/importance of your priorities (like security projects). That doesn't make them bad people. 3) Being likeable, open-minded, a good communicator and problem solving goes a LOT further than just "being right" 4) On that note, stop thinking in terms of "right" and "wrong," and start thinking in terms of other people's perspectives 5) You (meaning any manager) are probably harder to get along with than you think you are. Keep that in mind. 6) Self awareness and emotional intelligence are somewhat important as an engineer, but they are everything as a manager. 7) Don't be scared to ask the tough questions 8) If you don't have the capacity to give grace to someone you don't like, or let go of someone you do like (but who needs to be let go) you're not ready for leadership 9) There's a time to stretch/push people, and a time to be empathetic. Knowing which is which is key 10) Give more time to project timelines than you think you need, but be aggressive about meeting the milestones afterwards 11) Always try to negotiate with vendors, but remember that implementation of tools cost a lot more than just money 12) Using one entire tool correctly is far better than poorly implementing 3-4 tools

What made you successful as an individual contributor is not going to be what makes you successful at managing a team. With as fast as technology is accelerating these days –  and transforming every industry –  it's difficult to keep up. For first-time managers especially, this is coming at a career inflection point where responsibilities are changing, success looks entirely different, but somehow you are still expected to be "current" on everything that is going on. As an individual contributor, you learn by doing. You’re getting hands-on experience through your daily work, whether that’s coding, designing, writing, you name it. As a manager now, your scope has changed, and now that you’re responsible for the work of a whole team, you have fewer opportunities to learn on the job. You’re no longer as close to the work or the trends in your industry as you once were. Whatever your craft is, you no longer get to sharpen it just by showing up every day and doing the work. It’s a lot to, well, manage. So what’s the key to keeping up with your team while continuing to develop your skills? Make your team your new path to learning. Your reports are still in the weeds every day, immersed in the latest developments, tools, and challenges. They’re closer to the work than you are, so find ways to tap into their knowledge. Ask them about what they’re working on. Ask them what they’re excited about, what they find challenging, and what they’ve learned lately. Encourage them to push the boundaries. Set up brown bag sessions, demos, and other knowledge-sharing sessions. Bring a spirit of curiosity to your interactions. This approach does two things: 1️⃣ It keeps you up to date without always needing to be hands-on yourself.  2️⃣ It builds a team culture where your reports feel valued and listened to. Learning and development don’t have to stop the minute you transition into management. You just need to be more intentional about them by putting systems in place that help you stay informed and engaged. You’ll be surprised by how much you can learn, and how quickly you can scale that ability, by leveraging the capabilities of your team. #leadership #management #learning ♻️ If you found this useful and think others might as well, please repost for reach!

"I feel like I'm just pretending to be a manager." These words came from a brilliant engineer who had recently been promoted. Although she had all the technical skills, managing people felt utterly foreign. Here are five insights I've learned from working with new managers who felt the same way: ✔️ Stop trying to have all the answers Your team won't need you to know everything. They need you to help them find solutions. When they come to you with problems, try "What options have you considered?" instead of jumping straight to fixing it yourself. ✔️ Make peace with imperfect decisions There is rarely a perfect choice in management. I spent years agonising over every decision until I realised that a good decision now is better than a perfect decision that never happens. Trust your judgment. ✔️ Set clear expectations early Most team issues come from unclear expectations. Tell people exactly what good performance looks like, what authority they have, and how you want them to communicate with you. Be specific - "Keep me updated" means different things to different people. ✔️ Protect your focus time Book regular slots in your calendar for strategic work and development conversations. Your team needs a leader, not just a firefighter dealing with urgent issues. Start with just 30 minutes—you'll be amazed at what you can achieve. ✔️ Build simple systems Create clear processes for common situations. For example, a decision-making checklist or communication guidelines could be helpful. Small changes can reduce the constant questions and give your team confidence in handling things independently. Are you tired of spending your days putting out fires instead of actually leading your team? Join my free 60-minute session, during which I'll share the practical strategies that helped me move from an overwhelmed manager to a confident leader. Limited spaces are available to ensure everyone gets personalised support.