Heavy Networking HN764: Should You Pursue a Technical Leadership Role?
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Jan 17, 2025 Laura Santa Maria, a Principal Engineer at Red Hat and host of the Technically Leadership podcast, shares her insights on the leap from engineer to manager. She emphasizes the need to understand business dynamics and the emotional challenges of leadership, including the tough decisions around layoffs. Core traits for aspiring leaders like self-awareness and communication are discussed, alongside the concept of 'curated failure' as a learning tool. Finally, Laura highlights the unique advantages network engineers bring to leadership roles and the importance of mentorship in nurturing future leaders.
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Mitigate Skepticism
- Engineers often harbor skepticism towards higher-ups due to differing perspectives.
- Attend business meetings and investor calls to understand company headwinds and broaden your viewpoint.
Big Picture Thinking
- Higher-level leaders consider broader business needs beyond technical solutions, like financial stewardship.
- Their goals may seem vague because they're setting a general direction, not a point-to-point map, for teams to figure out implementation.
Money Isn't Everything
- Don't pursue management solely for money; consider alternative career paths like principal engineer roles.
- Explore if your company offers alternative career ladders before accepting a management position for financial reasons.