What's next in your career?

For most people, it's "become a manager". And then a manager of managers. And then... CTO?

This is precisely how I thought. And up until more recently, becoming a manager has been the only route to progressing a career. But that's changing - the role of managers will diminish as the working world evolves and there's evidence of this already.

What about those who want to stay technical? Typically, you'll be labelled an "Individual Contributor". I don't like this term. It portrays a lone wolf who can write code as much as they likes without using their skills and experience

What's the difference?

Both "leader" and "manager" have become overloaded buzzwords - everyone has a different definition.

Here's my take:

From perspective of software engineering

Of course this is a simplification. The key point, is that as you progress as a manager, you get further and further away from the thing you're good at. And there's simply not enough time in the day to do both.

Individual Contributors

The status quo suggests you have 2 options - "Management" or "Individual Contributor". I don't like the term "Individual Contributor". It implies that you focus on delivering with little emphasis on the team. Only those completely unsuited to both leadership and management should be "Individual Contributors".

What about those who want to stay techincal and take ownership of customer impact?

The "Manager" trap

You're a "senior" engineer. You've have A years experience and B qualifications. And A and B are big, juicy numbers. It's time you went and unloaded all your A x B wisdom and created some 10x clones of yourself. Right?

Just because you're a 10x Engineer doesn't mean you'll be a good manager. In fact, in my experience, there's no correlation at all.

Becoming a manager, you will spend 50% less time at what you're good at. And 50% more time on what you've never done before.

Sound like a bad deal? Think from your employer's perspective. They're trading 50% of a high-performing builder for a Junior Manager. And probably dishing out a hefty pay increase for the pleasure.

Diminishing Influence of "Managers"

Changes in the way we work (such as remote working, automation and AI) have caused a shift towards empowered and autonomous teams. As part of this change, the "Hands off" Manager is a burden. Being overly "Managed" is the opposite of empowerment and autonomy.

Even worse, is the hierarchy. Managers get more and more detached from the technical reality as you go up the chain.

I'm not the only one who thinks this. Say what you like about Zukerberg, but I think he's got the right idea with his recent changes at Meta. And he's not the only one.

Leadership

Don't get sucked into the hierarchical rat race. Become a leader. This is how I view leadership:

Leaders multiply their impact

Have you recently:

• Jumped on a call with a colleague and help solve a problem in 10 minutes that might have taken them 2 hours?
• Used your experience to ensure key decisions are made effectively?
• Shared with your team a new way of thinking that has helped them solve a problem?

If yes, you're a multiplier. I won't go into more detail about this. Pat Kua describes this better than I ever could

Leaders are impact obsessed

Don't be tempted to sub in "customer", "business" or "delivery" for "impact". Of course these things are important... But impact means more than this.

Example 1:

A more junior member of the team had been working on a long running project for a while. It's delivery was not imminent. She noticed there was a production issue that she had some domain knowledge on. She proactively dropped everything and was instrumental in fixing the issue.

Leaders are not always "senior"

Tenure and "experience" are poor proxies for leadership.

Leaders are self-aware

You know you're becoming a leader when you no longer feel the need to be right.

When I first started as an Engineer, I had an insatiable need to be the cleverest person in the room (I never was).

It took me a while to realize that to build anything of real value, you need a team. Leadership is about getting incredible people to work together to create something great.

Leaders recognise their teams first

Effective leaders recognize the importance of their team members and prioritize their needs before their own. They understand that their team is the backbone of their success and without them, they would not be able to achieve their goals. To recognize their team, leaders must first establish a culture of appreciation and recognition within their organization. This can involve acknowledging the hard work and efforts of team members, celebrating milestones and achievements, and offering opportunities for personal and professional development. Leaders who take the time to recognize their team members not only boost morale and motivation but also create a positive and productive work environment where everyone feels valued and appreciated.

Leaders inspire

Leaders lead by example, demonstrating a passion and enthusiasm for their work that is contagious, empowering their team to go above and beyond what is expected of them. They create a sense of purpose and meaning that inspires their team members to reach previously unattainable heights.

Managers won't go completely

I haven't mentioned "coaching", "1to1s", "reviews" and "personal development". These are all important in their own right. However, I rarely see engineers that suit these roles. And even more rarely do I believe they'll have a greater impact doing this then being a leader.

The next generation of CTOs will be leaders.