C S Sriram from Betterworks | How EMs Break into Leadership—Road to Success

In this episode of the groCTO Podcast, host Kovid Batra speaks with C S Sriram, VP of Engineering at Betterworks, about his journey from an Engineering Manager to a VP of Engineering, navigating leadership challenges, and scaling engineering teams effectively.

Sriram shares insights into the critical mindset shifts required to transition from managing execution to driving strategy at an executive level. He highlights the importance of mentorship, coaching, and building a high-performing engineering culture, while balancing business objectives with technical excellence.

The conversation also covers the challenges of leadership at scale, including how to set the right expectations, enforce quality standards, and use dashboards & skip-level 1:1s for effective communication. The episode concludes with an inspiring poem from Sriram on vision, resilience, and leadership.

💡 Highlights

🚀 From IC to VP: Navigating early management struggles and leadership growth.

🏗️ Culture & Quality: Building a productive engineering team while maintaining technical excellence.

📊 Scaling Leadership: Dashboards, policies, and structured communication for effective management.

🎯 Coaching & Mentorship: Developing future leaders within the organization.

✨ The Leadership Mindset: Sriram’s reflections on resilience, shared through an inspiring poem.

🎧 Full Episode

Listen on YouTube, Spotify, iTunes/Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music & more.

Read the Episode Transcript.

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