I can see so many engineering managers feeling overwhelmed with this role itself. It is like a combination of the engineer plus also management, right? So there could be some technical aspects that are also demanded from this role. The piece of advice would be that eventually you would have to take a step back from coding. And I do cover this whole, you know, individual contributor to an EM transition in detail in my book.
“Think about delegation as more of a coaching mindset instead of the doer mentality. It’s not about looking at the immediate task at hand, it’s about teaching that to others."
Akanksha Gupta is the author of “Think Like a Software Engineering Manager”. In this episode, Akanksha described the role of an engineering manager and the key traits of being a good engineering manager. She gave advice on how one can transition to the EM role and talked about the difference between an engineering management and leadership. Akanksha then walked us through the three key pillars of engineering management, which are people, process, and projects. We discussed topics, such as delegation, performance management, cross functional collaboration, and time management. Akanksha also shared her practical advice for women in technology who are also interested in becoming an engineering manager.
Listen out for:
- Career Journey - [00:03:38]
- Writing the Book - [00:05:54]
- Engineering Manager (EM) Role - [00:08:25]
- Transitioning to an EM Role - [00:10:48]
- Traits of a Good EM - [00:14:17]
- Engineering Manager vs Engineering Leader - [00:18:31]
- Boss Mindset - [00:20:01]
- Advice for Women to Become EMs - [00:21:56]
- Delegation - Learn to Let Go - [00:24:30]
- Managing Performance - [00:27:33]
- Cross-Functional Collaboration - [00:33:27]
- Setting Up Processes - [00:37:20]
- Managing Up - [00:40:00]
- Time Management - [00:42:02]
- A Growing Todo List - [00:45:50]
- 3 Tech Lead Wisdom - [00:47:28]
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Akanksha Gupta’s Bio
Akanksha Gupta is an experienced Engineering Manager at AWS. Prior to joining Amazon, she was an engineering manager with Robinhood, Audible and Microsoft. She completed her Masters in Computer Science at Columbia University. She is also part of the IADAS (The International Academy of Digital Arts and Science) and was awarded the Fellowship by the British Computer Society and the RSA.
Akanksha is also a huge advocate in Women in Technology. She is an Amazon Bar Raiser at Amazon and is an active mentor at PlatoHq, GrowthMentor and FastTrack mentorship programs. She has served as the jury member for several esteemed awards such as Stevie Awards, SIIA Codie, GraceHopper and the Webby awards. She has also been part of the Grace Hopper committee review for Software Engineering track and has served as a Track chair for Global WomenInTech conference.
Follow Akanksha:
- LinkedIn – linkedin.com/in/akankshaguptamgr
- Plato HQ – platohq.com/@akanksha-gupta-1364542759
- Growth Mentor – app.growthmentor.com/mentors/akanksha-gupta
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