Why Engineering Managers Must Stay Hands-On

In my previous LinkedIn article, I discussed the vital role that engineering managers play and why having dedicated leaders for software teams is so crucial. However, just filling the manager position itself is not enough - it's also critical that engineering managers stay hands-on with the actual engineering work. There are several compelling reasons why remaining an actively engaged technical leader is key for being an effective engineering manager.

Deep Understanding

First and foremost, staying hands-on with the code, frameworks, architectures, and other technical details provides engineering managers with a deeper understanding of the current challenges and blockers their engineering team faces day-to-day. Without continuing to write code and dig into the nitty-gritty themselves, managers run the serious risk of becoming detached from reality and losing empathy for the issues their team encounters. Rolling up their sleeves and jumping into the code alongside the team keeps managers closely connected to what is happening.

Lead By Example

In addition, leading by example establishes tremendous credibility and respect with the engineers they manage. When the engineering manager is seen as avoiding getting their hands dirty with the real work, it quickly and understandably causes engineers to question their technical leadership. By diving into the code, fixing bugs, refactoring messy areas, and tackling problems hands-on, the manager sets the right tone and proves both their skills and commitment.

Prevent Skill Erosion

Staying hands-on also prevents the critical skill erosion that can happen when managers spend too long away from writing code. Technology evolves at a blistering pace, and managers who find themselves detached from coding for extended periods of time risk their previously honed skills decaying. Staying immersed in the latest languages, frameworks, and engineering techniques is vital for keeping skills sharp.

Hire and Assess Talent

Staying technically engaged also enables engineering managers to better hire and assess engineering talent. Evaluating candidates' skills requires managers to deeply understand current technologies and methods themselves. Additionally, hands-on coding aids hugely in technical interviews and assignments to evaluate candidates' abilities. Managers who avoid coding risk lacking the competency to deeply evaluate potential hires.

Offer Solutions

Finally, remaining hands-on equips managers to better provide solutions when their team is stuck. Whether offering debugging suggestions, architectural guidance, or code optimizations, managers with sharp technical skills can meaningfully unblock engineers. Without hands-on work, managers will lack the depth of knowledge to help drive technical solutions.

While people management and other responsibilities are certainly important parts of the engineering manager role, truly effective managers never stop being engineers themselves. They continue to write code, review pull requests line-by-line, pair program frequently, take on hands-on project work, tackle technical debt, learn new programming languages, and contribute to open source. Hands-on leadership builds tremendous trust, understanding, and credibility.

Being an engineering manager is undoubtedly a balancing act, but it's critical to carve out dedicated time to stay involved with the actual engineering work. Doing so provides connectivity, sets an example, and maintains vital skills. Make hands-on engineering time a priority.