Mistakes I’ve Made as an Engineering Manager — so you can avoid them
Reflections on my first two years as a Manager
Your first day as a manager is exciting — meeting your team, fellow managers, and the leadership above you.
But — leaving an individual contributor role can be terrifying since many managers were promoted because they excelled as an individual performer.
Now you are responsible for an entire team’s performance, not just your own.
This article represents a reflection on my first two years of management, and the biggest mistakes I made — to help you avoid the same.
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Mistake: Focusing on technical excellence first
During my first year managing engineers I focused on all the wrong things. My first year I was fixated on our team’s technical skills, tool set, and our ability to leverage the latest tech.
I had the “shiny syndrome” — I would see a new technology, tool, framework, or platform…
