Roadmap to Engineering Leadership: From IC To People Management

But how do you navigate this transition successfully and establish yourself as a credible leader, positioning yourself for the best progression opportunities?

We bought together a brilliant group of aspiring engineering leaders for a candid discussion on the realities of leadership growth. Leading the session were Simona Casciaroli and Karina Celis, who used a retrospective format to explore prominent areas of discussion around stepping into leadership, such as:

🔹 Defining your leadership identity – What do you want to be known and respected for?
🔹 Earning trust & leading without being the expert – How to build influence when you're no longer the IC or technical expert on the team.
🔹 Managing imposter syndrome – Spoiler: it doesn’t go away, but it can be managed.
🔹 Balancing delivery with team satisfaction – Spotting the early signs when motivation dips and knowing when to step in as a leader.

💡 Download the key takeaways sheet here 💡

---

Takeaways:

1. Establishing Your Leadership Identity

• Authority vs approachability: Set boundaries clearly, but remain empathetic and accessible.

• Decision-making: Know when to decide quickly and when to explain your reasoning. Consider urgency and risk.

• Collaboration: Facilitate discussions rather than dictating. Some decisions are best made as a group.

• Authenticity: Confidence comes from being transparent, consistent, and owning your unique leadership style.

---

2. Managing Imposter Syndrome

• Almost everyone feels it, acknowledge it, but don’t let it hold you back.

• Keep a “Ta Da List” of your achievements to boost confidence and support EOY reviews.

• Remember: your role is to guide and mentor, not to know everything. Trust your team’s expertise.

---

3. From IC to People Management

• Great leaders guide with questions, not answers, this builds critical thinking and ownership.

• Empower your team to take risks and learn from mistakes. Low-risk decisions are opportunities to build trust.

• Leading is about influence, not control—focus on guiding, not managing.

---

4. Team Satisfaction

Satisfaction hinges on four factors:

• Agency – Do people feel ownership of their work?

• Growth – Are they developing skills and careers?

• Impact – Can they do their best work?

• Belonging – Do they feel part of the team?

📌 As a leader, monitor these factors. Temporary dips happen during busy periods, but long-term drops signal deeper issues that need addressing.

---

5. Managing Technical Debt

• Tech debt is inevitable, set expectations on when and how it will be addressed.

• Prioritise it within the roadmap, dedicating time and resources without derailing delivery.

• Advocate for your team to ensure workloads remain balanced and sustainable.

---

Recommended Resources

• BICEPS framework

• Never Split the Difference by Chris Voss

---

If you're keen to learn more or hear how you can be involved in future sessions, reach out to our event coordinators Tom Pearson or James Adamson.