What we've learned about hiring engineering managers
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Re: What we've learned about hiring engineering managers
#2So basically "we were devs and we want managers who are devs"
..
which inevitably leads to "we really need some real managers"
full disclosure: i am senior dev and a bad manager
Re: What we've learned about hiring engineering managers
#3> We look for candidates’ ability to mentor and add value to technical discussions while understanding their own limitations, supporting a technical decision without acting as a decision-maker.
It's nice that they are keeping this in mind. I was a technical lead for a new product in the company at my last job and had a new engineering manager hired over me. I ultimately quit because he wouldn't let me do my job, insisting on making every technical decision, and that he knew better. Many of them were poor decisions. He was a mid-level engineer with a big ego in a manager's position, and was given the power to do whatever he wanted.
I've been working professionally as a software engineer for almost 10 years now. By far the worst experience I've ever had.
Making sure that an engineering manager knows their limitations is very important.
Re: What we've learned about hiring engineering managers
#4I've always been apt to push for a more technology-oriented manager due to logistics because I don't need/want a non-technical "career coach" calling the shots on implementation/execution when they don't even have an IDE installed on their laptop... which is why I feel they specifically nailed it with this - "We look for candidates' ability to mentor and add value to technical discussions while understanding their own limitations, supporting a technical decision without acting as a decision-maker."
Re: What we've learned about hiring engineering managers
#5So basically "we were devs and we want managers who are devs" .. which inevitably leads to "we really need some real managers" full disclosure: i am senior dev and a bad manager
yep, me too. it's depressing.
Re: What we've learned about hiring engineering managers
#6I often hear that experienced devs don't necessarily make good managers, but that's not always the case. It's important to not force devs into becoming managers if they aren't a fit. Therefore, the traditional tree structure of promotion doesn't really fit development. You should be able to gain responsibility and compensation without becoming a manager.
Re: What we've learned about hiring engineering managers
#7I've been fortunate to have two great direct managers at the prior companies I've worked at, and one common thread they have is they've both been developers. I think working in the field before you command people who do so helps build empathy and understanding of the problem at hand, as well as how it all ties into the bigger picture.
I've heard in the military officers that served in the enlisted ranks before commissioning are more effective and supported by their troops than those that come straight out of OCS; but this is just anecdotal. If it is true, I think engr/mgmt relationships operate quite the same way. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mustang_(military_officer)
Re: What we've learned about hiring engineering managers
#8I've been fortunate to have two great direct managers at the prior companies I've worked at, and one common thread they have is they've both been developers. I think working in the field before you command people who do so helps build empathy and understanding of the problem at hand, as well as how it all ties into the bigger picture. I've heard in the military officers that served in the enlisted ranks before commis…
I've heard in the military officers that served in the enlisted ranks before commissioning are more effective and supported by their troops than those that come straight out of OCS; but this is just anecdotal.
This is a solid truth. Officers who were enlisted are more well liked by their subordinates. This is not just because they've been in enlisted shoes before. Officers who were prior enlisted are often older and much more mature than fresh faced LT's straight out of college.
Re: What we've learned about hiring engineering managers
#9I firmly believe great software engineering managers are people who are adequate developers, but have excellent people skills.
Why? They need to understand enough software at a high level to be able to manage, instead of turning lower-level details into management problems.
But, they also need to find software development frustrating enough that they are happy to not have to do it every day.
Re: What we've learned about hiring engineering managers
#10I've been fortunate to have two great direct managers at the prior companies I've worked at, and one common thread they have is they've both been developers. I think working in the field before you command people who do so helps build empathy and understanding of the problem at hand, as well as how it all ties into the bigger picture. I've heard in the military officers that served in the enlisted ranks before commis…
Not sure if this is a counterpoint, but pretty much every direct manager I've had (except for one, and she was awesome) started their career as a programmer, and I was also a manager that went from programming->management.
While I agree that it's best to have an expert in the field managing you, from my time as a manager I believe the "soft skills" of communication, emotional intelligence, empathy, organization, etc. are much more important. The reason it's so hard to find great engineering managers is that it's difficult to find a "programmer's mind" and a "people-person mind" in the same person.
For one, I think it is extremely difficult to be a manager if you are an introvert. A huge part of your day as a manager is meeting and conversing with other people. If those interactions all take energy from you instead of give energy, it's going to be hugely draining to deal with that much interaction all day. At least that was what it was like for me, so I could just be projecting my experience onto others.