In 2020, following a quick phone call about a successful POC, I walked into standup believing I was the team’s new Tech Lead. Instead, I discovered I had unknowingly accepted a role managing the 8 engineers I had just been bantering with an hour earlier.

Talk overview

Strong technical execution is the very thing that gets engineers promoted, yet it does nothing to equip them to manage direct reports, handle conflict, or navigate complex stakeholder relationships. This talk skips the abstract management theory to look directly at the structural skills gap created when engineers become managers. I will walk through what changes when you make this leap.

Key takeaways for attendees

  • Should I stay an IC or go EM?: How to evaluate if the EM track aligns with your long-term career goals, or if you should stay on the Principal/Staff IC path.
  • The Non-Technical Skill Stack: navigating stakeholder relationships, looking ahead past the next sprint, building a team of motivated engineers who are justifiably proud of their delivery.

About me

I am a Software Engineer with 16 years of experience, who has spent the last 6 years managing engineering teams. My goal is to share the practical insights I wish I had been given on the day my own reporting line unexpectedly flipped.