A Path to Engineering Leadership: Perks, Lessons, and Food for Thought

Starting Point: Where a Leader Begins

Leadership manifests itself one way or another almost immediately. In my case, the managerial nature began to emerge in the second year of my professional path. First, it was expressed in understanding how to organize and optimize processes. My sensitive team leader noticed this, and I already had my own team for the next project. The climate within the team was friendly, and it showed me that leadership is quite an exciting job. Later on, I was surprised to read stories about tension and toxicity in other companies and realized how smoothly we managed to build bonds within the team.

In a few years, I was given the opportunity to be the manager of the QA area, where I was involved in hiring. At the same time, I had to close the tasks of a business analyst, which allowed me to communicate closely with the client and develop my communication skills. Because the client was from the US, I became deeply involved in the study of Western business culture. I came to understand their way of thinking, values, the intricacies of communication, and how they respond to us and our culture in general. The skill of cross-cultural communication is a must-have and not only when working in a global company. You, as a leader, are simply obliged to have a broad outlook, which makes your toolkit more comprehensive.

Why Leadership Feels Good

I really enjoyed being a QA lead. First, I'm pretty good at testing, as far as my teammates’ feedback is concerned. In addition, there comes a certain point in your career when you are ready to pass on the gathered experience to others — it is a pity to keep it to yourself; therefore, it should live on via colleagues. After all, each stuffed cone is a specific lesson that translates into a solution. So, almost without noticing it, I began to grow my team and nurture each of them. The curious thing is that if you are a born leader, the circumstances are shaped so that you will certainly fulfill yourself. The main thing is to grab the opportunity by the tail on time.

It feels good to choose tasks for yourself: put aside routine, monotonous things and plunge into non-trivial problems. Routine and repetition are present in any job, and these tasks are best for those who require practice, and here you need to have a clear idea of ​​​​who to delegate such tasks to. If we draw analogies, then the work of a leader is like sailing through a rough sea in a small boat that climbs the next wave. Each problem has an open end and many unknowns. And when in such conditions, you are surrounded by a team in which trust reigns, you can overcome any storm and manage to get pleasure at the same time.

Interesting Because It's Difficult

Communication is the most important yet hardest aspect of a leader's career. Here, again, the predisposition to interact with people plays an immense role. In my opinion, a good leader is an empathic human being who subtly feels, reads the emotions of people, and most importantly, knows how to handle them carefully. In pursuing this, corporate training on emotional intelligence really helped me a lot, and I use this knowledge daily. Understanding your team and indulging are not the same. The work is not about the satisfaction of any one side. This is a kind of waltzing around the team, client, and management, where a partner wants to achieve their specific goals. The leader’s mission in this dance is to build a system to make each one happy, which is my definition of project success. In other words, we do not have to set the same tasks, but we should all strive towards the same goal.

Customers can also represent a challenge. I mean the ones that are not easy to do business with due to the human factor. This type of customer may be inclined to micromanagement, which is good for nothing at all times. You need to be able to build a process so that all participants are satisfied.

At a professional level, leaders are often yes-men, which is now true for me as well. I believe that any proposal has the right and reason to exist, and I try to find positive aspects in them from the point of view of different team members. I guess, I don't argue my point of view as much as I should. But at the same time, the ability to listen and understand is one of the foundations of healthy teamwork.

I Learn, Therefore, I Grow

Analyzing all my experiences, perhaps the main lesson I learned is that the key to a project’s success is in that elusive client satisfaction. This is the foundation of the team and management’s contentment from work. I noticed that I used to think more like a QA than a manager: finding and reporting problems. In fact, my immediate task is to solve these. Overall, success stands on three pillars: team, client, and company. In this context, I should act as a facilitator for all parties.

Understanding what the client values ​​implies a profound knowledge of their businesses and respective processes, especially those involved in the project. Awareness of what the team faces every day, at least at a basic level, demands insight into the technologies used on the project. If this is a software project, the manager must know its architecture, and how its components interact. This helps in problem identification and simple rapport within the team. Even a basic programming course may be required to capture the meaning of some jokes

In general, I noticed that engineers respect those who have a good grasp of their business, and dislike those who pretend they do yet are incompetent. Therefore, it will be easier for a tech-savvy person to gain the trust of a team, but this does not mean that it should be difficult for a non-techie. Such a person should just be honest and brave enough to approach the situation with humor, doing the job in the best way possible. I also get that both techies and non-techies have the same respect for a job well done. The trust will come when the team sees that their work has become more organized and productive upon your arrival.

I am the one responsible for the processes. If my letter remains unanswered for an entire day, I will not continue waiting for the sea weather. I need to reach out immediately and get a response, because any delay fails other people and is detrimental to the entire project, and, therefore, to the company's reputation. It took me some time to figure this out.

Another important lesson is the urge for data security. Sometimes hackers happen to access the repository where the projects are located. One should not underestimate the capabilities of criminals and rely on chance. I take cybersecurity very seriously: providing effective protection universally is part of my work culture, my habit. Some might say I am overly serious about this issue, however, my vigilance has never let me down. As a leader, I do my best to ensure that my stance on this matter becomes the stance of the whole team without compromise.

You Can't Win Alone

Over the years, I devoted a lot of time to hiring and QA selection. Now I am actively engaged in hiring developers, but the method is pretty much the same overall. First of all, you need to determine the project needs, the entire amount of necessary resources, and the required competencies for specific tasks. Accordingly, we draw up a candidate profile, which then travels to recruiters. In this case, the quality of the interview and expertise of the interviewer are pivotal. Sometimes you need to dig deeper by asking the right questions.

In addition to the technical base, an interview demands an ability to read between the lines, and pay attention, not only to what a person answers, but how one does it, how one reacts. When the top specialists appear to be toxic, harsh, or overly emotional, there will be no well-coordinated work or positive results. Visual contact is essential. By switching to remote, we conduct video interviews, that complete picture of the personality helps to form an opinion. That is, what is the impression of the conversation as a whole? Was it pleasant or tense?

I like to start a talk by asking about the candidate’s career journey. Ambitions, dreams, accents, and degree of enthusiasm surface right away. I am always interested in how deeply a person comprehends their own role in the project. One of the hiring cornerstones is to involve the team in it. This is a guarantee that the newcomer will accurately match the vibe and the impression will incorporate different perspectives. That is, it is not enough to trust yourself — you need to trust your people’s perceptions. This is my major principle. Changing my mind is not hard for me at all. I always keep in mind I may be wrong, and that my solution may not be the best.

Favorable Environment For A Leader To Grow

No one needs a leader in a vacuum. In the development of a manager, the surroundings and people are at the core. I feel tremendous support from my team. Pleasing the client is not enough. You need to listen to your colleagues’ feedback and draw conclusions. For a novice manager, a systematic response is important — knowing how one succeeds and whether one is succeeding at all is vital. This leads us to the corporate culture within the company, its values, DNA, and ideals.

I am lucky to work with open, honest people who are transparent in their words and actions. They create a unique atmosphere, and it is crucial for each person to contribute to it. We are each other's students and teachers at the same time. When there is no red tape or insurmountable walls, but instead a simple humanity, the leader evolves and inspires others to do the same.

In this article, Anton Shashuk, Delivery Manager at Innovecs, shares his own experience and path to engineering leadership.