Leadership advice · From engineer to leader
From engineer to engineering leader
Whether to move from IC to management, and what the leaders we asked think makes a great software engineering leader.
Interviews
Questions we asked
Asked on camera at our meetups. Where more than one leader answered, the answers are side by side. Transcripts are lightly edited for reading.
What qualities do you believe make a great software engineering leader?
2 leaders answered this one.
“A leader has to be open, meaning he has to be open to new ideas, new technologies, and open to other people.”
Read the full answer
What comes to mind for me is really openness. To me, a leader has to be open, meaning he has to be open to new ideas, new technologies, and open to other people. In the IT community, to be a leader, you have to be able to get people together. And if you don't have that characteristic of being open to all of these things, it's a bit hard. So to me, that's one of the things that you have to have to be a great leader.
“A great software engineering leader has to be in touch with what's the current trend. It's a mix of both soft skills and hard skills as well.”
Read the full answer
I think for me, a great software engineering leader has to be in touch with what's the current trend. It's a mix of both soft skills and hard skills as well. Not necessarily just managing people: they have to be well-versed in the current technologies, so that if someone leaves the company, they can roll up their sleeves, work on the problem and come up with a solution.
What advice would you give an IC who is deciding whether to stay an IC or try people management?
“Sooner or later, you'll reach a point [where] you need to manage or to talk to other people. … Try doing people management. It will help you grow as a person.”
Read the full answer
What I can say is, sooner or later, you'll reach a point where you need to manage or to talk to other people. Being an individual contributor, at least for me: I really love developing. I really love coding. But at some point, you'll reach a point where you need to talk to other people for you to grow and for you to learn. And usually, these experiences are not something we get from coding alone. We need to understand how team members work, how we should communicate our deliverables, how we manage deadlines and the project.
So overall, what I can say to the ICs out there who've been at it for a long time: try doing people management. It will help you grow as a person.
Takes
Short takes
Clips edited down to the answer, labelled with what they're about.
Take · On doing your best without burning out
You don't need to sacrifice your health or other commitments just to really bring the best.
Read the full transcript
Regarding philosophy, I believe that working at your best is the objective of being in a technical field like software development. That being said, you don't need to sacrifice your health or other commitments just to really bring the best. Being able to give your best, and being there for your friends outside of work, is good for your overall health.
Take · On staying motivated as a leader
Whenever they see that their leader is doing [her] best, they also do [their] best.
Read the full transcript
For me, staying motivated means always trying to be at my best, in every aspect of my job. Because I think leadership isn't only tested at work, but in every aspect of our lives. Whenever I feel that I'm doing my best, that's where I get motivated. As for leadership style, with my team I don't really need to tell them what to do or give orders. Whenever they see that their leader is doing her best, they also do their best. So we try to focus on our strengths, and do things based on our strengths, but also know and work on our weaknesses.
Keep reading
More leadership topics
Your turn
Come to the next eHeads.
Open to every technology leader, especially new ones. It's free.