My friends and I have similar experiences transitioning from engineering to management. We were all technical leads given the opportunity.
I’ve always thought about the reasoning behind that.
Management is considered a different line of work from development. Technical mastery doesn’t imply skill in managing a team.
When I became an engineering manager, I didn’t have technical depth in one specific topic like optimizing compilers.
I did know the big picture of the entire system, and I could cover most systems by tracing problems if they occurred. I was also a lead engineer because I knew what needed to be built and how. After talking to my friends, we think the first requirement is complete ownership of a critical product. The first system I covered was backend sources which fed data to a filtering engine.
The transition to management happens because we also had the trust of the senior staff. This is accrued through delivering projects and solving issues on time. A lead engineer also has to work with many engineers to accomplish objectives.
The higher ups have observed the engineering lead can indeed work and coach people, as well as be a team player. This can be seen if the lead mentors new engineers, is effective at articulating ideas, and minimizing conflict. The engineering leader ends up as the most visible person on the team.
The promising engineering lead should have the right temperament for the company culture.
So why not grow this person to become the new engineering manager?
If you’re interested in this path, here’s a few suggestions:
- Work towards becoming a system owner. Be able to answer any questions about it.
- Deliver projects on time. Volunteer to solve the strangest fires.
- Coach and mentor engineers around you. Make them awesome.
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