Ask HN: First-time EM, quite lost – what helped you?
A first-time engineering manager expresses feelings of being overwhelmed in their new role after a promotion. They struggle with managing team dynamics and balancing their responsibilities, feeling unprepared for the transition from individual contributor to manager. Seeking advice, they are open to resources that could help them improve their skills and confidence.
- ▪The individual was promoted to engineering manager after four years in technical roles.
- ▪They experience chaos with meetings and feel paralyzed on strategic tasks.
- ▪One of their reports is causing conflict within the department, complicating their management duties.
Opening excerpt (first ~120 words) tap to expand
First time EM in high tech, promoted 11 months ago after working ~4 years in several technical roles before. I'm excited about the new role, and know I gotta grow into it, but I really need some advice:- It's complete chaos for me. Days stuffed withh meetings I'm not sure I should be in, other days empty where I sit paralyzed not knowing how to start tackling the strategic things I know I should address. Also, compared to previous roles, I can barely recharge over the weekend, it's like a completely different kind of energy drain.- One report of mine causes havoc in the department. Very well performing, individually, but at the cost of frustrating whole teams of fellow employees. Can't side completely with one party, need to somehow make sure the conflict doesn't escalate.
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Excerpt limited to ~120 words for fair-use compliance. The full article is at Ycombinator.