Developing Leadership Skills For Engineering Managers

It took me 13+ years to climb the ladder as a college grad to an engineering manager. Here are ten mindset shifts I made that helped me go from junior to senior and manager+ roles in this time (hard-learned lessons that you should remind yourself of from time to time) 1️⃣ From "Doing Everything Myself" To → "Focusing on What Truly Matters" - As responsibilities grow, your time becomes limited. Focus on high-impact work that aligns with your team’s and organization’s goals. - Shift from task completion to prioritization. Ask: "Will this make a meaningful difference?" 2️⃣ From "Relying on Gut Instincts" To → "Documenting Strategies to Scale" - Writing clear engineering strategies helps align teams and provides a long-term vision. - Your ability to scale isn’t about working harder. It’s about making your thinking accessible to others. 3️⃣ From "Fixing Every Bug Personally" To → "Curating Quality Through Standards" - Ensure software quality by setting up frameworks and processes instead of micromanaging every detail. - Empower your team to own technical quality and create scalable systems that evolve with the organization. 4️⃣ From "Going it Alone" To → "Staying Aligned with Authority" - Leadership depends on trust and alignment with the organization’s goals and vision. - You can disagree, but do so constructively and ensure you stay predictable and dependable. 5️⃣ From "Pushing Your Vision" To → "Blending Vision with Others" - Leadership isn’t about imposing your perspective—it’s about integrating the best ideas from peers and leaders. - Collaboration strengthens outcomes and earns you buy-in across the board. 6️⃣ From "Being Right" To → "Focusing on Understanding" - Stop spending energy defending your ideas. Instead, prioritize clear communication and collaboration. - The ability to bring people together with empathy is more valuable than winning arguments. 7️⃣ From "Competing for the Spotlight" To → "Creating Space for Others" - Leadership is about elevating others. When your team succeeds, you succeed. - Share responsibilities, mentor others, and celebrate their wins to build a stronger collective. 8️⃣ From "Relying on My Judgment" To → "Building a Peer Network for Feedback" - Surround yourself with peers who can challenge your decisions and give honest input. - The higher you climb, the harder it gets to receive constructive criticism—actively seek it. 9️⃣ From "Only Mentoring" To → "Sponsoring Talent" - Mentoring is guiding someone. Sponsoring is actively advocating for their growth. - Create opportunities for others to showcase their skills and step into new challenges. Key Takeaway: Technical skills alone aren’t enough to climb higher, you need to shift your mindset. Which of these mindset shifts resonates with you the most? Share your thoughts below! 👇

I've coached 100+ engineering leaders I notice something striking about those who struggle 'Your team doesn't trust your leadership.' That feedback crushed Sarah, a brilliant engineering director I coached. Technical excellence wasn't her problem. Executive presence was. Here are the 5 patterns I've used to transform leaders like her:" 1. Your Code Won't Speak For You • I learned this hard way: shipping great features ≠ leadership • My turning point? When my CTO said "Adi, being right isn't enough" • Now I teach: presence amplifies technical expertise 3x 2. Build Your Leadership Foundation • I train my leaders: decide at 70% certainty, adjust at 100% • True story: lost a key hire because I mispronounced their name • My non-negotiable: prep or don't show up 3. Master Critical Communications • Counterintuitive but works: silence creates authority • My rule: 2 ears, 1 mouth - use proportionally • Learned from filming myself: fixed my conflicting body language 4. Develop Real Gravitas • Keep a "win log" (saved my review when my boss changed) • Share struggles openly - my team's trust doubled • Progress > Perfection (my daily reminder) 5. Details Make Leaders • 10 minutes early = on time (saved countless crisis meetings) • Visible note-taking changed my team's meeting culture • Anticipate needs (how I earned my first executive role) Fun fact: Sarah fast-tracked to a delivery VP role in 6 months. What's your biggest executive presence challenge?  Drop it below - I read every comment. Found this valuable? ↓ Save this post for future reference ♻️ Share with another tech leader who needs this 🔔 Follow Adi Agrawal for hard-earned leadership lessons from the tech trenches

When I first transitioned from individual contributor to engineering leader, I thought my job was to have all the answers. To always know the right path. To solve every problem myself. 𝗜 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝘄𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗴. Here’s the truth no one tells you: 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗸𝗶𝗹𝗹𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗮 𝗴𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁 𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗿 𝗱𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝗮𝘂𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗮 𝗴𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿. As an engineer, success is clear: you write the code, solve the problem, ship the feature. As a leader, success becomes fuzzy. It’s no longer about what you deliver—it’s about what your team delivers. Here are 3 lessons that hit me hard during this shift: 𝗦𝘁𝗼𝗽 𝘀𝗼𝗹𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴—𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗲𝗺𝗽𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴. Instead of jumping in to fix every issue, ask: “What do you think we should do?” You’ll build confidence and unlock potential in your team. 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗰𝗹𝗮𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆, 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗹. A great leader doesn’t micromanage; they set clear goals and trust their team to figure out the “how.” 𝗠𝗲𝗮𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝘀𝘂𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗱𝗶𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗹𝘆. Your wins are no longer about code or tickets—they’re about growth, trust, and outcomes. The moment I embraced this mindset, my team thrived. And honestly? So did I. Leadership isn’t about being the smartest person in the room. It’s about creating a room where everyone feels empowered to bring their best. If you’ve made this shift—or are navigating it now—what’s been your biggest lesson? Let’s learn from each other. #Leadership #EngineeringManagement #CareerGrowth