$30 off During Our Annual Pro Sale. View Details »

Grow Others to Grow Yourself: Lessons Learned Going from Tech Lead to Engineering Manager to Director

Grow Others to Grow Yourself: Lessons Learned Going from Tech Lead to Engineering Manager to Director

Presented at the Women in Tech (Virtual) Summit 2020 https://womenintechsummit.net/

It might seem obvious that to grow in your career you need to help others grow as well, but I’ve had to learn some surprising lessons when moving from an engineering lead position up to an engineering director position. In order to increase my scope and ability to lead larger engineering organizations, I had to grow leaders on my teams, but what that meant changed at each level:

* To succeed as a manager, I had to learn to give up coding and being the expert at everything. This made space for other tech leads to emerge on my team.
* To succeed as a senior manager, I had to learn how to delegate both responsibility and authority for the team’s output to team leaders to free myself up to lead multiple teams. I had to make space for those leaders to fail sometimes and that was hard! I had to learn what safeguards to put in place to support my teams, stay in the loop since I was still accountable, and provide them direction, while giving them the autonomy to act without being a bottleneck for them. This meant I could start to contribute to longer-term engineering and product strategy and cross-team process improvements
* Now, as an engineering director I am leading managers and I had to start giving up direct management of engineers for the first time, which was as hard for me as giving up coding! I’m at the start of my journey here, but I already have some lessons to share about how your focus needs to change and how what worked for leading team leads doesn’t cut it for leading managers.

At each level I’ve unlocked the ability to have a positive impact on more and more engineers and lead successful delivery in larger product areas for my companies. This growth would not have been possible without growing other leaders along the way and, as one of my mentors put it, focusing on what only I could do. For those of you considering or already on a similar career path of engineering leadership, I hope to share the lessons that I’ve learned to help you on your journey.

Audrey Troutt

July 23, 2020
Tweet

More Decks by Audrey Troutt

Other Decks in Technology

Transcript

  1. GROW OTHERS TO GROW YOURSELF
    LESSONS LEARNED GOING FROM TECH LEAD TO MANAGER TO DIRECTOR
    Audrey Troutt
    Director, Mobile Engineering
    Comcast Digital Home
    @auditty
    audreytroutt

    View Slide

  2. 2
    AUDREY TROUTT
    DIRECTOR, MOBILE ENGINEERING @ COMCAST
    DIGITAL HOME
    My past experience includes:
    • Engineer, scrum master, business analyst,
    teacher, technical writer, project manager,
    product owner, engineering manager, and
    engineering director
    • Web, mobile, backend, ops engineering.
    Building apps, services, open source libraries
    • Consulting, business products, consumer
    products
    • Small startups and big companies
    • Academia, non-profit, and industry
    Photo by Audrey Troutt

    View Slide

  3. 3
    AGENDA
    • Model for career growth in engineering leadership
    – Definitions: Engineer, Tech Lead, Manager, Director
    – Mapping roles to teams
    – Scope of responsibility and expertise
    – Inflection points: Player to Coach, and Actor to Director
    – How I think about career steps: what you let go of and
    what you should focus on
    • Growing from Engineer -> Tech Lead
    • Growing from Tech Lead -> Manager
    • Growing from Manager -> Director
    • Summary: grow others to grow yourself and, when in doubt,
    focus on what only you can do
    In my experience,
    these lessons are
    easier to see in
    hindsight, but I’m
    hoping to clue you
    in ahead of time,
    as my mentors
    have done for me
    over the years
    WHY ARE YOU HERE?

    View Slide

  4. MODEL FOR GROWTH

    View Slide

  5. 5
    DEFINITIONS*
    Engineers
    BUILDING
    • write code
    Tech Leads / Sr Engineer
    ARCHITECTING
    • write code
    • design systems
    • lead the team’s
    process, maybe
    Managers
    “PEOPLE-ING"
    • lead a team of
    engineers and tech
    leads
    Directors
    “PROCESS-IZING”
    • lead managers who
    lead teams
    * This is one of many possible ways of defining these terms

    View Slide

  6. 6
    WHAT DO PEOPLE DO ALL DAY?
    Engineer
    BUILDING
    • Writing code
    • Code review
    • Automating/testing/va
    lidating
    • Deploying
    • Triaging
    bugs/customer
    support
    • Participate in team
    process
    Tech Lead / Sr Engineer
    ARCHITECTING
    • Writing code, code
    review
    • Driving engineering
    projects, including
    budgeting for tech/ops
    • Defining best practices
    for code
    • Defining engineering
    strategy for tech
    • Lead team/dev process,
    maybe
    • Interviewing
    • Mentoring
    Manager
    “PEOPLE-ING"
    • Lead team/dev
    process and foster
    culture
    • Mentoring/coaching
    engineers and leads
    • Driving engineering
    projects, including
    budgeting for tech/ops
    AND STAFF
    • Recruiting,
    interviewing, hiring
    • Managing
    triage/customer
    support
    Director
    “PROCESS-IZING”
    • Driving engineering
    initiatives and broad,
    cross-platform, full-
    stack strategy
    • Mentoring/coaching
    managers and leads
    • Defining engineering
    strategy for business
    • Creating organizational
    culture
    • Leading organizational
    change
    • Budgeting for your
    department

    View Slide

  7. 7
    WHAT DO PEOPLE DO ALL DAY?
    Engineer
    BUILDING
    • Writing code
    • Code review
    • Automating/testing/va
    lidating
    • Deploying
    • Triaging
    bugs/customer
    support
    • Participate in team
    process
    Tech Lead / Sr Engineer
    ARCHITECTING
    • Writing code, code
    review
    • Driving engineering
    projects, including
    budgeting for tech/ops
    • Defining best practices
    for code
    • Defining engineering
    strategy for tech
    • Lead team/dev process,
    maybe
    • Interviewing
    • Mentoring
    Manager
    “PEOPLE-ING"
    • Lead team/dev
    process and foster
    culture
    • Mentoring/coaching
    engineers and leads
    • Driving engineering
    projects, including
    budgeting for tech/ops
    AND STAFF
    • Recruiting,
    interviewing, hiring
    • Managing
    triage/customer
    support
    Director
    “PROCESS-IZING”
    • Driving engineering
    initiatives and broad,
    cross-platform, full-
    stack strategy
    • Mentoring/coaching
    managers and leads
    • Defining engineering
    strategy for business
    • Creating organizational
    culture
    • Leading organizational
    change
    • Budgeting for your
    department

    View Slide

  8. 8
    Front-End
    Client
    Back-End
    Services
    Data Layer
    Ops
    Infra.
    Manager
    * This, as with all the examples I’m about to
    share, is one of many possible configurations!
    MAPPING ROLES TO TEAMS*

    View Slide

  9. 9
    Front-End
    Client
    Back-End
    Services
    Data Layer
    Ops
    Infrastructure
    Front-End
    Client
    Back-End
    Services
    Data Layer
    Ops
    Infrastructure
    Front-End
    Client
    Back-End
    Services
    Data Layer
    Ops
    Infrastructure
    Front-End
    Client
    Back-End
    Services
    Data Layer
    Ops
    Infrastructure
    MAPPING ROLES TO TEAMS

    View Slide

  10. 1 0
    Front-End
    Client
    Back-End
    Services
    Data Layer
    Ops
    Infrastructure
    Front-End
    Client
    Back-End
    Services
    Data Layer
    Ops
    Infrastructure
    Front-End
    Client
    Back-End
    Services
    Data Layer
    Ops
    Infrastructure
    Front-End
    Client
    Back-End
    Services
    Data Layer
    Ops
    Infrastructure
    MAPPING ROLES TO TEAMS

    View Slide

  11. 1 1
    Front-End
    Client
    Back-End
    Services
    Data Layer
    Ops
    Infrastructure
    Team Manager
    Team Manager
    Team Manager
    Team Manager
    MAPPING ROLES TO TEAMS

    View Slide

  12. 1 2
    Front-End
    Client
    Back-End
    Services
    Data Layer
    Ops
    Infrastructure
    Front-End
    Client
    Back-End
    Services
    Data Layer
    Ops
    Infrastructure
    Front-End
    Client
    Back-End
    Services
    Data Layer
    Ops
    Infrastructure
    Front-End
    Client
    Back-End
    Services
    Data Layer
    Ops
    Infrastructure
    MAPPING ROLES TO TEAMS

    View Slide

  13. 1 3
    Front-End
    Client
    Back-End
    Services
    Data Layer
    Ops
    Infrastructure
    Director
    Team Manager
    Team Manager
    Team Manager
    Team Manager
    MAPPING ROLES TO TEAMS

    View Slide

  14. 1 4
    MAPPING ROLES TO TEAMS
    Front-End
    Client
    Back-End
    Services
    Data Layer
    Ops
    Infrastructure
    Front-End
    Client
    Back-End
    Services
    Data Layer
    Ops
    Infrastructure
    Front-End
    Client
    Back-End
    Services
    Data Layer
    Ops
    Infrastructure
    Front-End
    Client
    Back-End
    Services
    Data Layer
    Ops
    Infrastructure

    View Slide

  15. 1 5
    Front-End
    Client
    Back-End
    Services
    Data Layer
    Ops
    Infrastructure
    Front-End
    Client
    Back-End
    Services
    Data Layer
    Ops
    Infrastructure
    Front-End
    Client
    Back-End
    Services
    Data Layer
    Ops
    Infrastructure
    Front-End
    Client
    Back-End
    Services
    Data Layer
    Ops
    Infrastructure
    MAPPING ROLES TO TEAMS

    View Slide

  16. 1 6
    Front-End
    Client
    Back-End
    Services
    Data Layer
    Ops
    Infrastructure
    Front-End
    Client
    Back-End
    Services
    Data Layer
    Ops
    Infrastructure
    Front-End
    Client
    Back-End
    Services
    Data Layer
    Ops
    Infrastructure
    Front-End
    Client
    Back-End
    Services
    Data Layer
    Ops
    Infrastructure
    MAPPING ROLES TO TEAMS

    View Slide

  17. 1 7
    SCOPE OF RESPONSIBILITY AND EXPERTISE
    Engineers
    BUILDING
    • One project
    • One team
    • One platform
    Tech Leads / Sr Engineer
    ARCHITECTING
    • One or more projects
    • One team, consult
    across multiple teams
    • Expert in one platform,
    familiar with others
    Managers
    “PEOPLE-ING"
    • People
    • One or more projects
    • One team (or two)
    • Multiple platforms
    Directors
    “PROCESS-IZING”
    • Strategy
    • Many initiatives
    • Many teams
    • Whole
    product/business

    View Slide

  18. 1 8
    In my model, career
    growth involves
    alternating between
    increasing your
    breadth and depth
    of both your
    responsibility and
    expertise
    SCOPE OF RESPONSIBILITY AND EXPERTISE

    View Slide

  19. 1 9
    SCOPE OF RESPONSIBILITY AND EXPERTISE

    View Slide

  20. 2 0
    INFLECTION POINTS: HOW YOUR ROLE CHANGES
    Engineers
    BUILDING
    Tech Leads / Sr Engineer
    ARCHITECTING
    Managers
    “PEOPLE-ING"
    Directors
    “PROCESS-IZING”
    PLAYER COACH
    ACTOR DIRECTOR
    FOLLOWER LEADER

    View Slide

  21. 2 1
    • It’s hard to be a novice again (and again)
    • It’s hard to let go of things that you are good at
    • BUT you can’t grow into your new role until you
    grow others to take your place in your old one
    Growth
    doesn’t just
    mean getting
    a bigger title.
    It’s about
    learning.
    WHAT’S IT LIKE TO TAKE EACH STEP?

    View Slide

  22. GROWING FROM
    ENGINEER TO TECH LEAD

    View Slide

  23. 2 3
    TECH LEAD
    PHOTO BY CHRISTINA @ WOCINTECHCHAT.COM ON UNSPLASH

    View Slide

  24. 2 4
    WHAT DO PEOPLE DO ALL DAY?
    Engineer
    BUILDING
    • Writing code
    • Code review
    • Automating/testing/va
    lidating
    • Deploying
    • Triaging
    bugs/customer
    support
    • Participate in team
    process
    Tech Lead / Sr Engineer
    ARCHITECTING
    • Writing code, code
    review
    • Driving engineering
    projects, including
    budgeting for tech/ops
    • Defining best practices
    for code
    • Defining engineering
    strategy for tech
    • Lead team/dev process,
    maybe
    • Interviewing
    • Mentoring
    Manager
    “PEOPLE-ING"
    Director
    “PROCESS-IZING”

    View Slide

  25. 2 5
    IT’S A TRAP
    DON’T BE THE BOTTLENECK
    Photo by Jamie Street on Unsplash

    View Slide

  26. 2 6
    Photo by Jeffrey F Lin on Unsplash
    You are a star
    player, and you
    help others to
    become better
    players too –
    that’s how your
    team wins!

    View Slide

  27. 2 7
    Grow others to:
    • Plan and implement features
    • Triage production issues
    You can grow to:
    • Stop fighting fires and start planning for the
    future of your code bases
    • Define and drive higher standards, better
    patterns, and innovative new solutions
    • Learn about and influence more projects
    and systems
    • Work on larger technical problems
    Only You have the
    experience and the
    context to see the
    big picture and
    shape the future of
    your technology
    and practices
    LESSONS LEARNED: ENGINEER TO TECH LEAD

    View Slide

  28. GROWING FROM TECH
    LEAD TO MANAGER
    (IF YOU WANT TO!)

    View Slide

  29. 2 9
    ENGINEERING
    MANAGER
    PHOTO BY CHRISTINA @ WOCINTECHCHAT.COM ON UNSPLASH

    View Slide

  30. 3 0
    WHAT DO PEOPLE DO ALL DAY?
    Engineer
    BUILDING
    Manager
    “PEOPLE-ING"
    • Lead team/dev
    process and foster
    culture
    • Mentoring/coaching
    engineers and leads
    • Driving engineering
    projects, including
    budgeting for tech/ops
    AND STAFF
    • Recruiting,
    interviewing, hiring
    • Managing
    triage/customer
    support
    Director
    “PROCESS-IZING”
    Tech Lead / Sr Engineer
    ARCHITECTING
    • Writing code, code
    review
    • Driving engineering
    projects, including
    budgeting for tech/ops
    • Defining best practices
    for code
    • Defining engineering
    strategy for tech
    • Lead team/dev process,
    maybe
    • Interviewing
    • Mentoring

    View Slide

  31. 3 1
    IT’S A TRAP
    DON’T BE THE BOTTLENECK (AGAIN)
    Photo by Jamie Street on Unsplash

    View Slide

  32. 3 2
    Photo by Jeffrey F Lin on Unsplash
    You are over
    here now
    This is not you
    anymore, manager

    View Slide

  33. 3 3
    Grow others to:
    • Run day to day execution and triage
    • Lead individual projects
    • Be the star players (!)
    You can grow to:
    • Expand expertise and ability of team
    • Evolve team process and culture
    • Learn about and influence more and larger
    projects and systems
    Only you have the
    experience and the
    context to see the
    big picture and
    shape the future of
    your technology
    and processes and
    team
    LESSONS LEARNED: TECH LEAD TO MANAGER

    View Slide

  34. GROWING FROM
    MANAGER TO DIRECTOR

    View Slide

  35. 3 5
    ENGINEERING
    DIRECTOR
    PHOTO BY CHRISTINA @ WOCINTECHCHAT.COM ON UNSPLASH

    View Slide

  36. 3 6
    WHAT DO PEOPLE DO ALL DAY?
    Engineer
    BUILDING
    Tech Lead / Sr Engineer
    ARCHITECTING
    Manager
    “PEOPLE-ING"
    Director
    “PROCESS-IZING”
    • Driving engineering
    initiatives and broad,
    cross-platform, full-
    stack strategy
    • Mentoring/coaching
    managers and leads
    • Defining engineering
    strategy for business
    • Creating organizational
    culture
    • Leading organizational
    change
    • Budgeting for your
    department

    View Slide

  37. 3 7
    WHAT DO PEOPLE DO ALL DAY?
    Engineer
    BUILDING
    Tech Lead / Sr Engineer
    ARCHITECTING
    Manager
    “PEOPLE-ING"
    Director
    “PROCESS-IZING”
    • Driving engineering
    initiatives and broad,
    cross-platform, full-
    stack strategy
    • Mentoring/coaching
    managers and leads
    • Defining engineering
    strategy for business
    • Creating organizational
    culture
    • Leading organizational
    change
    • Budgeting for your
    department

    View Slide

  38. 3 8
    IT’S A TRAP
    YOUR JOB ISN’T TACTICAL
    PROBLEM-SOLVING ANYMORE
    Photo by Jamie Street on Unsplash

    View Slide

  39. 3 9
    Photo by Christina @ wocintechchat.com on Unsplash
    That’s you
    explaining
    your plan!

    View Slide

  40. 4 0
    Grow others to:
    • Drive projects and process
    • Grow your technical staff
    You can grow to:
    • Create repeatable team patterns and
    processes
    • Define larger business and technical strategy
    • Set the roadmap for the future
    • Hone your diplomatic skills and influence
    leaders around you
    Only you have the
    experience and the
    context to see the big
    picture and shape the
    future of your business,
    operations, and culture
    LESSONS LEARN(ING): MANAGER TO DIRECTOR

    View Slide

  41. IN SUMMARY

    View Slide

  42. 4 2
    • There are things you are going to have to let go
    of, and that will be hard!
    • You will go from Player to Coach and then from
    Actor to Director
    • Letting go of previous winning strategies makes
    time and opportunities for growth
    • Expand your breadth and depth of responsibility
    and expertise
    When in
    doubt,
    focus on
    what only
    you can do
    IN SUMMARY

    View Slide

  43. 4 3
    SHOUT OUT TO MY MENTORS WHO HELPED ME GROW
    JOANNE, AMIR, TRACEY, MILES, DAN,
    SCOTT, HEATHER, PHILLIP, TODD, JHO
    …AND MANY MORE!

    View Slide

  44. 4 4
    THESE BOOKS ALL HAD A BIG INFLUENCE ON ME
    RESOURCES
    q Fearless Change: Patterns
    for Introducing New Ideas
    by Mary Lynn Manns and
    Linda Rising
    q Pragmatic Thinking and
    Learning: Refactor your
    Wetware by Andy Hunt
    q The Phoenix Project and
    The Unicorn Project by
    Gene Kim
    q Resilient Management by
    Lara Hogan
    q Turn the Ship Around!: A
    True Story of Turning
    Followers into Leaders by
    David Marquet
    q Personal Kanban: Mapping
    Work, Navigating Life by
    Jim Benson and Tonianne
    DeMaria Barry
    q Seeing Systems: Unlocking
    the Mysteries of
    Organizational Life by Barry
    Oshry
    q Leading Lean Software
    Development: Results are
    not the Point by Mary and
    Tom Poppendieck
    q Measure What Matters:
    OKRs, the Simple Idea that
    Drives 10x Growth by John
    Doerr
    q The Manager’s Path: A Gide
    for Tech Leaders Navigating
    Growth and Change by
    Camille Fournier

    View Slide

  45. Audrey Troutt
    Director, Mobile Engineering
    Comcast Digital Home
    @auditty
    audreytroutt

    View Slide