Not everyone should be a manager.
It requires leadership skills, an acute ability to fully understand each of your team members and expert organization.
But there’s an untold challenge most managers experience at the start: letting go.
Here’s an example. Nick DeSteffen, who is now the director of engineering at BenchPrep, used to be a software engineer at the same edtech company. At the beginning of his transition, whenever tasks or questions came up, DeSteffen found himself taking on the work himself, knowing he could quickly accomplish the task and save everyone time.
But it had the opposite effect.
“I was becoming a bottleneck,” DeSteffen said. “There are only so many hours in the day and eventually something has to give. There would be longer times to complete requests because my focus would be elsewhere.”
Quickly, DeSteffen realized that in his new role he’d need to delegate tasks and trust that his team would get them done.
This is just one of many lessons he learned during his transition from individual contributor to engineering manager. That’s why Built In Chicago sat down with DeSteffen to pick his brain on how these lessons have shaped his approach to management.
What was the single biggest challenge you faced during the transition from individual contributor to engineering manager?
Learning when to delegate tasks and requests.
Having been a member of BenchPrep engineering for many years, my hands have been in a lot of things. I would get random questions and requests all the time. Balancing quick responses along with my new leadership responsibilities was difficult at first. There was a mental shift that I had to overcome. I thought that by doing something myself, I was eliminating a bottleneck and keeping my reports’ time free for their work, but in fact, it was the opposite.
At the same time, I realized that I now had the new responsibility of ensuring that my team members were learning and growing. I was no longer responsible solely for my own growth. It was a rewarding privilege.
How did you overcome this challenge, and how has it shaped your approach to management?
Through my regular one-on-one meetings, it became apparent the knowledge gaps my reports wanted to fill. Delegating things that I would normally do helped enable their growth. As a manager, that would be my primary focus — finding and enabling engineers to grow in new ways. Delegation of responsibilities is one avenue of growth. Let them figure things out, but also be available to guide them.
As I’ve grown as a leader, I’ve noticed I’m no longer focused so much on just figuring out how to delegate but proactively figuring out what makes each person tick, and what gives them intellectual fulfillment as an engineer. I now view my role as one who tries to figure out the untapped potential each person has, and how they can meet it here at BenchPrep.
As I’ve grown as a leader, I’ve noticed I’m no longer focused so much on just figuring out how to delegate but proactively figuring out what makes each person tick...’’
What’s the most important piece of advice you’d give to someone who is transitioning into their first engineering manager role?
As a leader, you’ll have different criteria for success. One of your primary tasks is ensuring that your reports are able to learn and grow. Try and understand how each one of them learns, as everybody is different. Do whatever you can to enable them and you will be successful.
BenchPrep helps the world’s leading education, training and assessment companies build and deliver online learning programs.
