Spotting the Signs of an Effective Engineering Manager
Many sources on the web talk about what makes a good engineering manager (EM). Now, having worked with five different managers, I’d like to share a few more insights I’ve gained from seeing what works effectively.
Adding the “E” to EM
In my experience with different managers, being tech-savvy has been a game-changer. It makes discussions about current projects, future plans, and performance evaluations much easier and more effective.
Take performance reviews, for instance. When your manager really understands your work, they can better support and defend it. This matters a lot, especially when your work doesn’t have clear measurements. In such cases, your manager needs to explain the milestones you’ve achieved and the quality of your work.
I’ve also noticed that managers who know the technical side of things can connect better with engineers. For instance, our team trusted my current manager because he used to be our tech leader. On the other hand, I had a manager who often said things that weren’t technically correct, and this slowly eroded our trust, leading some engineers to leave.
Moreover, technical fluency helps EMs guide junior team members in learning the basics of engineering. When I was new to my career, my manager helped me avoid many engineering mistakes.
So, technical fluency is what sets a manager apart as an EM. Without it, they’re more like a project manager with some people management tasks.
Setting the Stage for Career Growth
I truly valued managers who helped me plan my career path. EMs play a crucial role in deciding who works on which projects. When they know your career aspirations, they can place you in roles that offer room for development.
For instance, my journey to becoming a Senior Data Scientist relied on my ability to lead a small workstream. Because my manager was aware of my ambitions, he entrusted me with the role of leading the automation of a workstream, even though I hadn’t led before. This provided me with the chance to progress rapidly.
Beyond just positioning, your manager can also provide valuable resources to aid in your growth. In my case, the key obstacle to staying passionate was finding projects with sufficient scope. Recognizing this, my manager assigned me a mentor who excelled in that area. Since then, I haven’t had any trouble finding projects that excite me every day.
Honesty and Openness
I’ve always valued managers who were upfront and honest. This made performance discussions more straightforward because they explained the process and didn’t sugarcoat areas where I needed improvement. These candid conversations were worthwhile because they prevented surprises.
Being transparent also helps build trust. I remember a previous reorganization where one of my managers stood out for their transparency. They involved the team in the decision-making process and quickly shared the reasons behind the changes. As a result, the reorg went smoothly, and no one left the team. In fact, those who were part of the discussion trusted my manager more because they could contribute their input and understood the reasons behind the decisions.
To conclude, your manager is usually the most important person at your job. You can often figure out if they’re great by checking if many people leave the team. If the team keeps changing a lot or if you notice big problems with how they act, you might want to think about changing to a different team.
Now, I’d like to hear from you: In your experience, what do you think are the most important qualities of a good EM, and how they shaped your career?
Over to you! :)
