From Engineer to Manager: A Practical Guide to Your First Months in Leadership

Summary

Here you are, a new manager. Congrats! Perhaps, you’ve been an Individual Contributor (IC) for a while, patiently waiting for the right moment to step into an Engineering Manager (EM) role. You've studied management books, offered mentorship within the team, and mentally rehearsed various scenarios. And now the role is officially yours. You're likely feeling proud and excited, and maybe a little anxious too. That’s a very human response. After all, our education and experience teaches us how to be great engineers, but management often comes with very little formal preparation.In this blog post, I’ll walk through some of the early challenges I faced when transitioning into engineering management. Plus share a few practical approaches that helped me find my footing. Think of it as a mix of reassurance and small things you can try right away. First Things First: No Need to Have All the Answers Right AwayOne of my biggest surprises when becoming a manager was how quickly my peers, teammates started looking to me for guidance on priorities and important decisions.On my very first week as an EM, a peer asked me how we should prioritize a critical task and a stakeholder immediately sought my input on a strategic decision I hadn't yet considered. My initial reaction was mild panic: "Do I need to have opinions already?"It can feel really overwhelming, and pressuring. So please remember: you have the right to slow things down and approach these questions realistically and collaboratively. You don't have to rush into decisions when you are not fully informed or have an opinion yet. Instead, create space by being true to your experience:"Hmm, I don’t have a complete opinion yet, and need some time to work through. Can I follow up on Friday?""Great question. I'd love to discuss this with the team first and see how we collectively want to approach it. When do you need this info from us?""We're actually working through this right now and your input would be really helpful. Want to...