{"id":24824,"date":"2020-10-20T15:05:02","date_gmt":"2020-10-20T14:05:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.intercom.com\/blog\/?p=24824"},"modified":"2021-05-12T13:57:09","modified_gmt":"2021-05-12T12:57:09","slug":"engineering-management-benefits","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.intercom.com\/blog\/engineering-management-benefits\/","title":{"rendered":"Better engineering through management \u2013\u00a0the surprising benefits of becoming a manager"},"content":{"rendered":"

One of our core values at Intercom is \u201cWe love people who genuinely want to learn and grow.\u201d<\/p>\n

Of course, celebrating and encouraging a growth mindset is all good and well, but how do we put in place structures and processes that actually encourage career growth?<\/p>\n

In the Engineering org, we\u2019ve thought deeply about how to foster long-term growth opportunities for people. Like some companies, our progression track for engineers splits in two after senior engineer \u2013 either continuing as an IC at staff or principal levels, or taking a turn into people management.<\/p>\n

Engineering career path<\/h2>\n

For many people, however, making a move into management can feel like meeting a fork in the road \u2013 it feels like a choice that cannot easily be revisited. That doesn\u2019t need to be the case, however. Here\u2019s how we think about that career path.<\/p>\n

Unlike a lot of companies, Intercom provides tailored training and 1:1 support for engineers who are interested in branching out into management. Unlike almost all companies Intercom facilitates what some call the engineer\/manager pendulum<\/a> \u2013 or a switch back to the IC track after some time as a manager.<\/p>\n

“We believe that after, say, two years growing into and working as an engineering manager, our Intercomrades will be good engineering managers and better engineers”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Why? We believe in matching people to roles that play to their strengths and interests<\/a>. We believe that after, say, two years growing into and working as an engineering manager, our Intercomrades will be good engineering managers and better engineers.<\/p>\n

If it turns out after two years the role that now aligns with their strengths and interests is that of an engineer, why wouldn\u2019t we offer a path back? Especially since they\u2019re better engineers than when they left for management.<\/p>\n

So why do we think they are better?<\/p>\n

Leverage<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Increasing leverage through people management<\/h2>\n

There\u2019s a limit to what you can do with one keyboard and one brain and 24 hours. Even for the best in the world, accelerated progress comes from increasing the amount you can get done per unit time. Even with the most expertise, smartest working process, sharpest IQ and fanciest energy drinks, your ability to graft through, scale yourself and create something great alone is likely lower than you think it is.<\/p>\n

Think of the key people in your favourite open source project \u2013 say Rails. How would David Heinemeier Hansson (DHH<\/a>) make time to talk smack on Twitter or go off the grid for three months if he was the sole developer on Rails? He wouldn\u2019t. In reality Rails wouldn\u2019t exist, or at the very least it wouldn\u2019t be wired into the fabric of so many successful companies on the world stage.<\/p>\n

“If you decide you fancy a change, you\u2019ll go back to an IC role with a newfound ability to flex your leverage by working through people”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

One of the oldest and most scalable ways of increasing your output per unit time is through people. Becoming an engineering manager offers you that gift of leverage from day one.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s not uncommon to get to senior engineer level and never have had the opportunity or need to work through people. The median project in the median company isn\u2019t that challenging, and companies design org structures and processes geared towards keeping things this way because, much like predictable revenue, it\u2019s great for business.<\/p>\n

As an engineering manager, it\u2019s your job to work through people. You might think that you\u2019d be terrible at that, and you might be right about that at the start \u2013 but it\u2019s unambiguously true that if you work at it, you\u2019ll get better at it over time. And two years later, if you decide you fancy a change, you\u2019ll go back to an IC role with a newfound ability to flex your leverage by working through people. This is a solid platform from which to plot your journey to staff or principal engineer and beyond.<\/p>\n

Working on the system, not in the system<\/h2>\n

The simplest distinction between an IC and a manager is this: \u201cA manager works on the system, ICs work in the system.\u201d<\/p>\n

If you move from senior engineer in a team to manager of a team, it\u2019s quite likely that you\u2019ve just assumed ownership of the most complex system of your career. Your job is to take the components of that system \u2013 the people, tools and the environment, the culture \u2013 and create something that\u2019s better than the sum of its individual parts<\/a>.<\/p>\n

This can be ridiculously difficult in a way that is non-intuitive to beginners, but which becomes clear as you grapple with the challenges of team management<\/a>. To give a flavor, here are some of the questions that managers regularly need to find answers to:<\/p>\n