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For most of us, we find ourselves in leadership roles based on merit, based on having demonstrated a high skill level in our field of software engineering. We know how to code and deliver working software, and we’ve mastered aspects of our craft. However, leadership requires a completely different set of skills, skills we often haven’t been given guidance or training on.
Moving from an individual contributor to a leadership role requires a complete mindset shift - the scope of what you focus on changes from just what you need to deliver to the whole team.
Make sure you are super clear on what your specific role entails (see Roles within Engineering Leadership). Discuss with your manager and peers the expectations that you have for each other. Are you now responsible for hiring? Running 1:1s with the team? Designing architecture? What is expected of you, now you’re a leader?
Consider what you want to achieve in your new role, and reflect on the type of leader that you aspire to be.
See all the topics under “Skills for Engineering Leadership - Self” below. Make sure you’re solid on your own communication skills and day-to-day skills like time management. Set goals and learn to reflect on your experiences.
You might find yourself in a leadership role without any structured training. There are options for more structured training out there, which you can explore with your own manager.
There is a huge amount of content freely available online, so if you aren’t already, get into a practice of setting aside time to consume content related to engineering leadership.
Read books, articles, listen to podcasts, subscribe to newsletters - consume as much as you can as food for thought and ideas to improve your leadership skills. See Recommended Reading.
Many of the key topics to explore in engineering leadership can be found in “Skills for Engineering Leadership - Team”, below: