Should Engineering Managers Do Technical Stuff?
How to Balance Technical Skills and Managerial Duties
My biggest struggle during the transition from a hands-on role to a managerial one was finding the right balance between maintaining my technical skills and developing managerial ones. I had no idea how much time to dedicate to each.
The worst part was that whenever I was involved in non-technical tasks, I felt like a fraud. When I was with engineers, I felt like a fraud because I wasn't helping them with technical work. When I was with managers, I still felt like a fraud because I didn't know much about being a manager. So, I wasn't helping them either.
It took me several years to overcome that sense of inadequacy. And, I must confess, depending on the people I work with, I sometimes still find myself thinking, "Maybe I should be more involved in technical stuff: code reviews, design sessions..." Then, perhaps the same day, as I struggle to keep up with everything, I think, "Ah, I should delegate more technical decisions to the people who actually do this stuff and focus on being a great manager!"
Balancing Technical and Managerial Skills
Finding the right balance as an engineer is a constant challenge, primarily because, for an IT professional, technical skills are superpowers. You cannot possibly be a great engineer without possessing strong technical skills; they drive your career progress, get you promoted, make you stand out, get the job done, and keep you in high demand.
So, especially as you start your career in IT, you should invest heavily in developing your technical skills, exercise them daily, and keep them up-to-date. The engineering path is extremely challenging, but you can build a solid, fulfilling, and enjoyable career on it without necessarily moving to a managerial position.
But, for some, the struggle begins when, after a few successful years as individual contributors (ICs), they start entertaining the idea of transitioning to a managerial role and decide they want to become an Engineering Manager.
At this stage, I have often observed two tendencies that go in completely opposite directions:
Some assume that moving to managerial positions means completely forgetting about technical matters and focusing solely on people management.
Others, on the opposite end of the spectrum, transition to a managerial position but continue spending 95% of their time on technical tasks because they enjoy them and are very good at them.
Both of these approaches are ineffective for different reasons. A successful IT leader must have a solid understanding of technology, its implications, and how it drives the company towards its vision. Therefore, an IT leader should not lose sight of technology. On the contrary, they should follow innovations, trends, and stay curious about new developments in tech. They should continuously think about ways technology could be applied to increase business value. Losing touch with technology eventually makes you lose your credibility and effectiveness as a leader. You won’t be able to understand what’s going on, communicate with your team, or support and guide them.
At the same time, a manager should not fall into the trap of thinking that they should always be hands-on with technology or be able to jump in at any time to do the work themselves. This mentality does not scale. The reason you have an organisation and different roles and responsibilities is to be productive and effective at scale. The expectation for a manager is that they successfully lead the team in the right direction. A manager is there to remove impediments, communicate the company vision, provide support and guidance, and drive the team towards a common goal.
If done well, being a manager is easily a full-time job, leaving little time to be 'operative' on a day-to-day basis. I see engineers particularly struggling with this. Many times, I’ve seen engineers in management roles directly executing extremely technical tasks because they had the skills, did it quickly, and enjoyed it. This might seem effective in the short term, but it does not scale and is detrimental to the team’s motivation and morale. I’ve also seen people who think they are superhuman, believing they can be full-time managers as well as full-time developers. But that’s the fastest lane to burnout!
A good leader has to know what, how, and when to delegate. Most importantly, they should trust that their team is capable of successfully doing the job.
But let’s get back to the main question:
Should an Engineering Manager Work on Technical Stuff?
Let’s get straight to the point. If you want to be an effective Engineering Manager (EM), you should definitely be involved in technical stuff. So:
Should EMs be working on technical tasks? — Yes!
Does it mean they should actively contribute to the codebase? — No, not necessarily.
Does it mean they should vet each and every technical decision? — No.
Should they always have the skills and knowledge required to jump in and get the job done on their own? — Definitely not!
How Much Time Should EMs Spend Doing Technical Stuff?
The reality is that deciding what percentage of your time to dedicate to technical vs managerial tasks is heavily influenced by several factors:
The company you work for
The team you work with
Current priorities
If your team is very strong on the technical side and includes a few influential senior engineers, it’s safe to say that you can prioritise managerial tasks, such as ensuring the workload is balanced among team members and project deadlines are reasonable and achievable. Your main focus can be mentoring the team, solving interpersonal issues, and so on. In such a situation, your direct involvement in technical activities can be limited.
But, if you are in midst of an extremely delicate infrastructure migration project that affects most of the systems you manage, the situation then changes dramatically. You should definitely make sure you get involved in technical discussions, participate in workshop, and potentially also directly contribute to PoCs and architectural decisions. You should provide the highest level of technical support you’re able to offer, even supporting with your coding skills when required. You should assist the team in each and every high-impact decision.
So, the amount of time you spend on technical vs managerial tasks can change dramatically depending on the specific situation you’re in.
Final Thoughts
Based on my experience, the best way to find the right balance is to become extremely adept at seeing through the fog of complexity. As a manager, you have to excel at understanding what you can safely delegate and what you should keep a direct eye on.
Acquiring this skill requires time, experience, and deliberate action. It is very important to occasionally zoom out and take a look at the big picture. Ensure you make time for that.
To be an effective Engineering Manager, you should do your best to stay as technical as you possibly can, but also refrain from getting too hands-on unless absolutely necessary. Your team’s morale and self-confidence depend on them feeling empowered to do their job.
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See you next week! 👋😊
Cheers,
Fusco.