Leadership in engineering isn’t static—it evolves as you grow, your teams expand, and the organizational stakes rise. Understanding the different stages of engineering leadership is crucial. What makes you successful as a leader in the beginning of your journey might hold you back as you progress. To truly thrive, you must adapt, learn, and let go of old habits to embrace new challenges.
In this post, we’ll explore the three stages of engineering leadership:
- Leading a Small, Autonomous Team
- Collaborating with Other Teams
- Leading an Organization
We’ll also dive into the skills required at each stage, the common pitfalls, and the mindset shifts needed to excel. Whether you’re just starting out or already leading at the organizational level, understanding these stages will help you navigate your leadership journey more effectively.
Stage 1: Leading a Small, Autonomous Team
The first stage of engineering leadership begins when you’re tasked with leading a small team. At this point, the team is largely autonomous, with minimal dependencies on other teams. The focus is clear: executing a specific mission. Leaders at this stage often succeed by leveraging their technical expertise and motivational skills.
Success in Stage 1
- Be a Facilitator, Not Just a Doer: While your technical skills are an asset, your primary role is to enable the team to succeed, not to do the work yourself.
- Build Team Cohesion: A strong team dynamic and alignment around the mission are essential for success.
Common Pitfalls
The most common mistake here is continuing to act as an individual contributor (IC). Spending too much time on technical tasks can prevent you from giving your team the leadership and direction they need. The shift from “doing” to “facilitating” is often the hardest for first-time leaders.
Key Takeaway
Success in Stage 1 depends on your ability to step back from the technical details and focus on forming and guiding the team.
Stage 2: Collaborating with Other Teams
As your team grows, its success becomes intertwined with other teams across the organization. This marks the transition to Stage 2 of leadership: collaboration. At this level, your ability to build relationships, influence without authority, and align your team’s work with broader organizational goals becomes critical.
Success in Stage 2
- Provide Clarity on the Bigger Picture: Help your team understand how their work fits into the overall mission of the organization.
- Build Trust Across Teams: Collaborate with other teams to create alignment and shared goals.
Common Pitfalls
Leaders often fail in Stage 2 by being too inwardly focused—prioritizing the internal dynamics of their own team over building relationships with other teams. This isolation can lead to miscommunication, inefficiencies, and a lack of trust between teams.
Key Takeaway
To thrive in Stage 2, you need to focus on managing relationships across the organization and becoming a bridge between your team and others.
Stage 3: Leading an Organization
Stage 3 is the pinnacle of engineering leadership: leading an organization of multiple teams. At this level, your role shifts to defining the vision, setting the strategy, and ensuring effective execution. You’re no longer just a leader of people—you’re a leader of leaders.
Success in Stage 3
- Articulate a Clear Vision: Provide a compelling vision for where the organization needs to go.
- Define Strategy: Lay out a roadmap that aligns with the vision and ensures long-term success.
- Structure for Execution: Organize your teams and processes to effectively execute the strategy.
Common Pitfalls
The most significant risk at this stage is becoming bogged down in relationship-building or administrative tasks and losing focus on your primary responsibility: driving vision and strategy. Without clear direction, your teams can lose their way, leading to costly inefficiencies.
Key Takeaway
In Stage 3, your focus must be on the bigger picture. Delegate day-to-day tasks and keep your eyes on the vision, strategy, and execution.
Lessons Learned from This Coffee Journey
So, what can we learn from the three stages of engineering leadership?
- Leadership is about adaptation: The skills that make you successful in one stage won’t necessarily carry you through to the next.
- Letting go is essential: To grow as a leader, you must let go of old habits and learn new skills.
- The stakes rise with each stage: The cost of failure increases as you move from leading a small team to leading an organization.
Take a moment to reflect on where you are in your leadership journey. Are you just starting out, learning to guide a small team? Or are you working to build trust and collaborate across teams? Maybe you’re at the organizational level, striving to define a vision that inspires and aligns everyone.
Wherever you are, remember that leadership is a continuous journey of growth, adaptation, and learning.
Take the Next Step
If this resonates with you, think about one actionable step you can take today to grow as a leader. Whether it’s delegating more, building a relationship with another team, or defining your vision, progress starts with small, intentional actions.
And if you’d like to dive deeper into this topic, make sure to listen to the full podcast episode, The Three Stages of Engineering Leadership, available now!
Let’s keep growing, learning, and sipping great coffee along the way!
Useful links
- The three stages of leadership
- Heroic Leadership – lessons on how to be a good leader
- Hippo effect and dichotomy of leadership
Thanks for reading!
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