Being an Engineering Manager today has never been harder - but why?

How we got here, what’s broken, and where to go from here.

👋 Hey, it’s Stephane. Welcome to my weekly newsletter where I share lessons, and stories from my journey to help you lead with confidence as an Engineering Manager.

Once upon a time, “engineering teams” were just a couple of devs reporting to whoever happened to be around. A PM. A founder. Maybe even someone in marketing.

Then teams became bigger and companies realised that someone had to handle career talks, approvals, decisions. Got it. We’ll promote the most senior engineer to do that of course. After all they know the most about the team. Boom! Tech Lead and manager, all in one.

That might have worked for a team of three.

But as soon as teams grew a little bit more to five, ten, or more, this started to really fail. Writing code and managing a team don’t mix well at scale. People need 1:1s. Projects need direction. Someone has to remove blockers.

You can’t do that between code reviews, developing features on the critical path, and planning the next project at the same time. It’s just too much.

So companies split the roles: senior ICs would own the tech side, and people managers would handle the people stuff.

Clean separation between ICs and EMs.

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Then it got messy again

Not every company followed that split well. Some made the manager role so “pure” it didn’t even require a tech background.

Let me say that again: managers with no technical understanding were expected to lead engineering teams.

That went badly, as you’d guess.

Good managers need to get what’s being built, how it's built, and why. You can’t support a team, or push back on bad decisions, if you’re clueless about the work.

Eventually, smarter setups were suggested. Strong managers needed to have enough technical knowledge to steer well. Tech leads were empowered without being overburdened. Delivery Manager roles (scrum master, agile evangelists, etc) helped with the day-to-day flow.

And then... the market turned.

Welcome to the Compression Era

Layoffs. Teams shrinking. Budgets and hiring freezes.

You need to do more with less.

Now companies want one person to do what used to be sometimes three full-time jobs.

Here’s the usual EM job today:

• You manage the team and the people

• Team culture, ways of working and people’s career growth is your responsibility

• Delivery Managers don’t work with the team, only support big projects so you need to fill in this gap

• You set the technical vision for the team while working with your PM and other teams to align on priorities

• You’re “accountable” for technical decisions (even if you’re not writing much code)

• You need to be writing some code every now and then (while not being on the critical path)

You might have a Tech Lead, or you might not.

You rarely have any budget control. This is handled by high level execs.
→ That means that you don’t control really the size or seniority formation of your team

Often you’re asked to be this person not for only one, but two teams.

So you end up having to do a bit of everything… but with almost no say over anything that matters outside your bubble.

You’re measured like a leader, treated like a coordinator

This is the part no one really talks about.

Engineering Managers today are often held responsible for team output, morale, retention, and product quality - but without the tools to fix the core problems.

You want to give someone a raise? Not your call.

You need a new headcount to avoid burnout? Good luck.

You want to change an unrealistic deadline?
Sure, just convince five stakeholders and three layers of leadership.

It is tiring.

So why do it?

You might be wondering: why would anyone choose this?

Because helping people grow is still one of the best things you can do.

Because seeing a team thrive, even under pressure, is deeply rewarding.

Because when it works, it really works.

But let’s be honest. The role needs a rethink.

If you’re an EM, here’s what can help:

• Be clear on your scope. Write it down. Share it.

• Push back when work creeps outside of it.

• Build peer support. Other EMs can help you stay sane.

• Track what you actually do. This will help in comp talks, performance reviews, or even when it’s time to leave.

The takeaway

Engineering Management used to be one role.

Then it became two or three.

Now, many companies want it back as one, but without adding time, help, or authority.

That’s a problem.

It’s not that EMs aren’t skilled enough. It’s that the job keeps getting bigger while the support keeps shrinking.

If this is you: you’re not alone, and you’re not imagining it.

It really is harder than ever.

And that means it’s time to push for change.

That’s all, folks!

See you in the next one,
~ Stephane

PS. If you’re taking this management thing seriously, here are more ways I can help:

1. Follow me on LinkedIn for insights during the week.

2. As mentioned in this article, if you’re looking for an Engineering Manager job, check out this product that I made for you to 3x your interviews!

3. Check the products that I offer with a paid subscription - 50 Notion templates, guides, and more. It’s a lot!

4. Work with me through 1:1 coaching. I find it extremely rewarding to give personalized guidance to engineering leaders who are interviewing for EM roles or are looking to grow in this area.

5. If you’re a Software Engineer I have a partnership with CodeCrafters – build Redis, Git & more from scratch (40% off with my link).

6. If you're preparing for interviews, I am also writing this newsletter for architecture design that you might be interested in: