Do Great Engineering Managers Exist in California
Posted April 22nd, 2014
Engineering managers are some of the best paid people in the country. This comes down to a question of supply and demand. Companies demand great engineering managers, but not enough engineers aspire to be great managers. Even fewer are qualified to do so.
The skill sets that go into making a great engineer are not the same as those that make a great engineering manager. In fact, most good engineers are not looking for and are not happy with a promotion into “management”. This unhappiness, in many cases, is due to a lack of training and little preparation. However you can create great engineering managers, and there are 5 tips how:
- Train for Soft skills – Technical ability is not everything. Engineers need to develop the skill that will help them influence others, make good decisions and multi-task. Technical skills are not going to contribute to the day-to-day management of the team. Provide training to your engineers to help them become better communicators, presenters and (well) leaders.
- Manage your expectations – It’s rare to find an engineering manager who has the technical, business and leadership skills you need plus a sparkling personality (to boot). Once you are able to provide those skills, you need to realize that they are not superhuman. They cannot do everything; they will have to delegate. Therefore, you need to manage your expectations and not expect the world from a mere mortal.
- Provide the resources they need to become strategic leaders. For example, without profit and loss responsibility, engineering managers cannot focus on planning and strategy. Encourage them to delegate and leverage their own set of skills and strengths. If they need assistance, consider bringing on a qualified consultant, to serve as a trainer / coach, with skills that complement the managers.
- Foster Trust. Since engineering managers (and the people they manage) are highly educated and well paid, they will act professionally but also expect to be treated in kind. Therefore, if their feel like they are being micro-managed or not allowed a certain level of autonomy, it destroys trust. However, too often highly paid professionals feel like their professionalism is questioned — that they aren’t trusted. This situation can quickly escalate and destroy the relationship.
- Provide something other than money as a reward. In addition to paying engineering managers well, rewards are necessary so that they remain enthusiastic enough to perform. Recognition goes a long way, but also focus on providing adequate resources for the projects they are leading and the people they are managing.
At Bayside Solutions, we know what it takes to develop and recruit a great engineering manager. If you are looking for engineering recruiters in San Francisco, contact us today.
