What Makes a Great Engineering Manager? A Tech Exec’s Perspective
As a seasoned tech executive I’ve managed, guided, and coached many engineering managers. If I had to distill my expectations into a few core expectations, they would be:
👩💼 Be a leader to your team
Show up. Have regular 1:1s. Be accessible. Be the go-to person for issues—not because you have all the answers, but because you’ll help find them. You’re responsible for their career growth, and you’ll do their performance management. Yes, this includes admin work: PTO tracking, expense help, paycheck questions etc.
🗺️ Understand your team’s scope and interfaces
Understand what your team owns—from the product area to the codebase. Know where your boundaries are, who owns adjacent systems, and how you interface with them. Be familiar with roadmaps, release processes, incidents, and architecture. Your job includes understanding how your team fits into the larger picture.
🌍 Represent and advocate for your team
This means managing up and sideways. You don’t need to defend every decision, but you do need to make sure your team isn’t overcommitted, that their work is recognized, and that its value is clearly aligned with company goals.
👭Be your PM’s best friend
A strong partnership between EM and PM is one of the most powerful forces behind an effective team. Communicate often. Align on priorities. Share context and concerns. You don’t need to agree all the time, but you do need mutual respect and shared goals. When you’re in sync, your team feels it—and so does the rest of the org.
⛴️ Enable delivery—fast and with quality
If your team is constantly firefighting or missing expectations, it’s your job to help. Pick the most pressing issue and create a plan. Use data. Collaborate. You won’t fix it all at once, but you do need to start.
💻 What about coding? Yeah, I haven’t mentioned coding. That’s intentional. Your focus should be enabling your engineers to do the coding. If you’re expected to contribute technically, ask yourself:
- Do I want this added responsibility?
- If yes, what will I deprioritize to make space?
Then, align with your manager so everyone is clear on your scope and priorities.
Are you struggling with one of these skills? Elevate(Her) can help you build or hone those skills so you’ll be a go-to manager that your team and organization will love. Reach out for a free introduction session - we can’t wait to meet you!