You’re a new Engineering Manager and miss writing code

What would you do?

👋 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.

You were one of the best developers on your team. People came to you with the most complex projects, and you owned the most confusing tech debt. Then one day, your manager said, “You’ve got a knack for leadership. Want to try managing?”

Now it’s your third month as an Engineering Manager.

You sit down on a quiet Thursday morning. No meetings for a few hours. You open your IDE and start looking at a feature your team is building. Before you finish reading the second function, you get a ping:

“Hey, can we talk through this blocker?”

Ten minutes later:

“We’ve got a question about the roadmap priorities.”

Then:

“Do you have an update for the staff meeting?”

Ugh… Forgot about this one! So annoying!

You miss coding. Not just a little… you really miss it. Just a couple of hours uninterrupted, like you used to. It’s what got you into tech. Now, your days are filled with check-ins, planning, and people problems.

Outline

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

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