Don't Rush Into Management
Engineering leaders are warning against rushing into management roles, citing fewer Director/VP positions and career stagnation for EMs. Rodgers Adai argues for prioritizing technical excellence over management promotions, especially given Africa's industry challenges from engineers seeking quick advancement. The best leaders build self-sustaining teams that make oversight "unnecessary."
The transition from Engineering Manager to Director is often more challenging than the leap from individual contributor to manager. The role fundamentally shifts from managing engineers and projects to managing other managers, with a much greater focus on budgets, strategic planning, and cross-departmental collaboration. This creates a natural bottleneck, as there are structurally fewer director-level positions available. Many tech companies, including Apple and Google, have formalized parallel career tracks for Individual Contributors (ICs) to mitigate this. These tracks allow engineers to increase their influence and compensation by deepening their technical expertise, progressing to titles like Staff, Principal, and Distinguished Engineer without needing to manage people. High-performing ICs can often have a broader impact on technology than managers. The concept of a "self-sustaining" team is often referred to as "aligned autonomy." This leadership philosophy involves providing teams with clear context and strategic goals—the "why"—but granting them the freedom to determine the "how." Instead of direct control, leaders establish "guardrails," such as security requirements or core engineering principles, which allow teams to move quickly and innovate safely. The African tech ecosystem saw a 22.7% decline in venture capital funding in 2024, which can constrain the creation of new senior leadership roles. While some markets like Ghana and Uganda saw funding increases, the overall slowdown and a 34% rise in M&A activity create a more competitive landscape. This environment can pressure engineers into seeking management titles for perceived job security. This career pressure exists amid widespread burnout; a 2024 report found that 65% of engineers experienced burnout in the past year. Contributing factors include staffing shortages and economic uncertainty, which can make a move into a high-stakes management role even more taxing. Ultimately, the most effective leaders focus on empowerment over control. A key sign that a manager is ready for a director role is when their team can function effectively for an entire month without their direct input. This level of team independence demonstrates a manager's ability to build robust systems and trust, which are foundational for scaling leadership.
