Engineering leaders: have you ever had a manager decide that leadership was the wrong choice for them? Was there an easy path for them to move back into engineering work and still advance their career within your organization?
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Head of Design in Retaila month ago
I've noticed that some exceptionally talented engineers choose not to pursue leadership roles that involve managing other leaders. It's crucial for companies to offer distinct growth paths for engineers with advanced skills, allowing them to lead complex engineering projects without the added responsibility of people management. These engineers should receive mentorship and support, especially if they decide to explore leadership roles in the future.The traditional belief that success in an organization is tied to people management is outdated. Today, a principal engineer can have just as much impact and achieve similar success through their deep technical expertise and the value they bring to the organization.
CTO10 days ago
I’ve seen this happen many times. I often coach people that management is not for everyone, and that people should enjoy their work. It is ok to master a technology or business area and become a SME. We need SMEs.So, if management does not work out, there are other avenues. For example, we have created HR roles for our most senior individual contributors at the same level of a directory. While there are few of those roles, it creates a career path for those wanting to become a distinguished engineer.
A senior engineer may advance to team lead or tech lead on the IC side, or engineering manager on the leadership track. Both roles involve increased accountability and responsibility at a team level, but the EM focuses more on HR and business/product objectives, while the tech lead oversees technical aspects.
Managers could progress to director roles, while tech leads might advance to staff engineer positions, focusing on architecture and systems.
Clear distinctions and goals for each path and position are prerequisites for success. While occasional movement between tracks isn't problematic, frequent switches may indicate the organization isn't adequately preparing people for role differences.