Transitioning into a leadership role is often viewed as a natural stepping stone in career advancement. To those on the outside, however, engineering leadership can seem like a mysterious, closed-door world. The reality of stepping into leadership comes with its own unique set of shifts, challenges, and surprises.
In June, Duolingo hosted its third annual Engineering Summit. The Engineering Summit is a conference that is held by, and for, the entire Engineering function. This year we hosted separate tracks for AI, Android, Backend, Career Development, iOS, Platform, and Reliability Engineering.
I had the opportunity to present in the Career Development track, which is included here. And below that, you will find a summary of my presentation. I have shared here some of the learnings, insights, and principles that I have picked up on my journey into engineering leadership.
1. Leadership and management are not the same
It is a common and reasonable assumption that stepping into a management role automatically makes you a leader. However, the two roles actually rely on entirely different mechanisms:
- Management is command: It implicitly grants you the organizational authority to tell people what they must do.
- Leadership is influence: It cannot be forced or demanded; it is earned by guiding and influencing others.
Great managers are usually great leaders, but great leaders need not become managers!
The principle: A leader’s job is to lead people and manage work. Avoid managing people—focus on leading them instead.
2. Leadership is lonely
Leadership brings a shift in dynamics that can feel isolating for three primary reasons:
- The math: Structurally, organizations are shaped like pyramids. There are simply far fewer leaders than individual contributors, and your peer group shrinks as you grow into leadership.
- Organizational focus: Leaders usually spend the majority of their time focused on supporting their teams rather than interacting with those outside of the team.
- The leadership power imbalance: There is an inherent power dynamic that makes it challenging for leaders to have casual, peer-like interactions with those they lead.
The principle: It is crucial for leaders to intentionally build networks with their fellow leadership peers and carve out dedicated time to spend with them.
3. Individual contributor excellence does not translate to leadership excellence
Standing out as an exceptional individual contributor is often what brings you to the precipice of leadership. However, those hard technical skills do not naturally translate into leadership skills. Leadership requires a delicate balance of influencing others without hijacking their work or forcing them to do things exactly your way.
A common way this is manifested is when you see someone learning or struggling with a skill at which you excel. In these situations, it can be tempting to take over and just do the work yourself. In these moments, it is important to remember that you mastered that skill through practice! You should step back and give others the room to do the same, even when it’s not done exactly your way.
Additionally, new leaders are often unprepared for the deeply human elements of the role, such as navigating emotional, non-work-related conversations with team members in quiet conference rooms.
The principle: Empathy is one of a leader’s most vital assets. Learning to genuinely understand and connect with others is a core leadership strength.
4. Leaders have to navigate extreme uncertainty
Engineers are often seeking perfect data before making decisions, but engineering leaders rarely have that luxury. Leadership requires making highly impactful judgment calls with less information than you might prefer.
Waiting for absolute clarity before making a decision can cause your organization to stall. This means that leaders must often push past imposter syndrome and the fear of being wrong when pulling the trigger.
Fortunately, two things work in a leader’s favor when doing so: First, completely irreversible decisions are quite rare in the workplace. It’s OK to make a decision that ends up being wrong as long as it can be undone. Second, a leader’s judgment is often quite good! You didn’t get to a leadership role by making lots of poor choices… at least, I certainly hope not!
The principle: Leaders must become comfortable operating with uncertainty and be willing to be wrong. When a decision fails, you must have the humility to admit it, reverse course, and choose the better path.
5. Great leaders should must be taught
No one is born knowing how to navigate the ambiguities of leadership, and taking steps into leadership shouldn’t feel like being thrown into a dark room without a flashlight. Leadership is a discipline that requires continuous instruction and guidance.
Mentorship is one of the strongest structural levers an organization can pull. If you are an aspiring leader, you should find a mentor to guide your growth. If you are already a leader, it is your responsibility to intentionally invest in and train the next generation.
The principle: It is a fundamental responsibility of current leaders to demystify the role and actively support others on their personal leadership journeys.
There are always more things to learn
A leader’s growth and learning never truly ends. As a business changes, your role will continuously shift shape, and it will regularly task you with unexpected responsibilities. These could be anything from mundane administrative tasks to complex interpersonal dilemmas built entirely on trust. Meeting these moments with empathy and adaptability is exactly what the job entails. Never stop learning, never stop growing, and always be ready for the next surprise.
If you want to work in a place that cares about fostering engineering leadership, we’re hiring!
