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0 pointsseattle_spring4d ago0 comments

If you think hiring, prioritizing, planning, and cross-team negotiation are all tasks of a tech lead and not a manager, then what is the job of an engineering manager in your opinion?

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cjrp3d ago

IMO purely people management (1:1s, promotions, goal-setting, staffing/resourcing, involvement in hiring).

aboodman2d ago

But how can you know who to promote, how to balance resources, or who to hire if you're not leading the project?

People management is about managing the company's resources to achieve goals. If you are not the one leading the implementation of those goals, you are not going to be able to:

  * reason about what the right about of resources should be
  * see opportunities for optimization
  * forecast future need

You will be completely dependent on a technical lead who does have that information. So then what is your independent role? Just to shuttle information between the technical lead and others?

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