From doer to enabler: making the shift from IC to engineering manager

About Chris

He has held every title on the way up, engineering manager through to VP of engineering, and is now back running a single team. He still follows the careers of the people he managed years ago.

What the conversation covers

For engineers about to take the step into management, and anyone already in the job who is quietly still doing the work themselves. Covers what actually changes when you stop being responsible and start being accountable, the mission critical task Chris kept for himself and the sprint his team missed because of it, why the hardest thing on the board is the one to hand to someone else, how an EM stays technical without being the coding expert in the room, and whether you can be friends with the people you have to give hard feedback to.

Related reading: How to become an engineering manager.