Blog for Engineering Managers

Blog for Engineering Managers

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Blog for Engineering Managers
The team doesn’t respect you as their manager
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The team doesn’t respect you as their manager

What would you do?

Stephane Moreau's avatar
Stephane Moreau
Apr 27, 2025
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Blog for Engineering Managers
Blog for Engineering Managers
The team doesn’t respect you as their manager
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👋 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.

It’s Thursday afternoon. You just wrapped up sprint planning, and it left a bitter taste.

Half the team kept their cameras off. A couple of engineers rolled their eyes when you asked about blockers. Someone even chuckled sarcastically when you mentioned a small change in direction from leadership.

You’ve been leading this team for only a few months, and it’s very evident that for some reason, they don’t take you seriously.

Slack messages go unanswered. Your decisions always get second-guessed. One engineer goes to your director with questions instead of coming to you.

It sucks.

I really hope you’re not in this situation, but if you are, what do you do?

Outline

- 🔒 What are your options?
- 🔒 Breaking down each approach
- 🔒 What I would do in this situation
- 🔒 How the decision can backfire and what to do about it
- 🔒 Takeaways
- 🔒 Some useful links from me


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