Being an Engineering Manager or managing people involves much more than just having 1:1s. There is an entire pipeline of things and the below diagram only scratches the surface of People Management, however in this post I will try to highlight some of the key functions.
1. Hiring Request – the decision to hire is a collaboration between the team, and it can include the product & the scrum groups. Once agreed, a Hiring Justification Form is submitted for approval (in some cases, this is a verbal contract between the EM and the Head of Engineering or Talent Team). A deep understanding of each engineering level’s responsibilities is crucial to flush the right job spec. Ensuring hire approval requires having solid details on why the role is needed and the impact it will bring.
2. Recruitment – once the job has been listed and interviews are scheduled, the EM can ensure a smooth interview process. This includes setting up clear interview stages, questions, scorecard, and a feedback framework to select objectively the right candidate.
3. Post Offer & Managerial Onboarding – Once commenced, prior to team onboarding, the EM can conduct a “Managerial Onboarding” to cover about the business, structure, mission & vision, Why & What we are building. This step also helps new hires feel confident about their growth by highlighting key management functions.
4. One-to-Ones – Having 1:1s are critical. At their root, 1:1s should reduce uncertainty by making both parties feel more connected to the rest of the team while clarifying intent. One of the biggest mistakes I see in new managers, again and again, is thinking that 1:1s are optional. Your 1:1s are the most important thing you do. The whole purpose of the 1:1 should be to make the other person feel valuable and connected. It can also provide a great opportunity for a manager to reduce uncertainty, provide clarity and growth. Some key focuses of 1:1s are:
– building trust, form a connection
– making actionable items
– clarifying vision, discuss about current work
– presenting feedback as a growth opportunity
Performance Reviews – having a competency framework that maps the role’s responsibilities to performance levels provides people clarity and motivation. In my 1:1s, my reports were always eager to show progress on the goals we had set together. Also, any initiative can be measurable, therefore make sure that any critical gaps that are highlighted, are transformed into clear, measurable goals.
Engineering management is about creating clarity, connection, and growth, both for individuals and the team as a whole. ✌
Thanks for reading and I hope you found this post helpful. In future posts, I’ll cover conflict resolution, addressing underperformance, setting measurable goals, and more.
#management #peoplemanagement #engineeringmanager #growthtips
Leave a Reply