How Engineering Managers can actually get promoted
Inspired from people who have gone from EM -> Director, VP, and CTO roles.
👋 Hey, it’s Stephane. I share lessons, and stories from my journey to help you lead with confidence as an Engineering Manager. To accelerate your growth see: 50 Notion Templates | The EM’s Field Guide | CodeCrafters | Get Hired as an EM | 1:1 Coaching
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The jump from Engineering Manager (managing ICs) to SEM / Head of / Director (managing managers) is huge.
It might not be as big of a transition as going from IC to EM, but it is certainly not straight forward to navigate.
The ask is simple.
Expand your focus to having organisational influence and transition from tactical execution to initiating and executing strategic bets.
How to get there is not though.
Engineering Manager → Engineering Director
If you’re managing 5–15 engineers today, you likely focus on project plans, 1:1s, some code reviews now and then, and feature delivery. Success feels measurable: did your team hit their…