A Career as Tech Lead or Engineering Manager with Patrick Kua

Engineers can get promoted to leadership positions without knowing what is expected of them. It's less of the same and more of a sidestep. Pat Kua and I discuss the tech lead and engineering manager roles and what makes a person effective being in that role. On top of that we give perspective for people interested in those positions. Enjoy! 🎙 Connect with Pat Kua: https://www.patkua.com https://twitter.com/patkua https://www.linkedin.com/in/patkua Pat's newsletter: https://levelup.patkua.com Full episode on YouTube ▶️ https://youtu.be/QMS4anI_oJo New episodes every Wednesday with our host 🎙Patrick Akil!   Big shoutout to Xebia for making this episode possible! OUTLINE: 00:00:00 - Intro 00:00:42 - Different problems in coaching CTOs 00:02:08 - Problems when it comes to team structure 00:03:47 - Coaching aspects 00:06:14 - The tech lead and engineering manager paths are sidesteps 00:08:21 - Mismatch in expectations 00:10:05 - Skills a tech lead requires 00:12:54 - Dealing with people 00:16:44 - Communication challenges 00:18:13 - When is the right time to step into a leadership position? 00:20:51 - Leadership positions are not for everyone 00:23:42 - Learning from others 00:26:21 - Relationship between tech lead and engineering manager 00:31:58 - Pitfall of splitting tech lead and engineering manager 00:34:27 - Conversations about roles and responsibilities 00:36:51 - Leadership teams 00:37:43 - Who is responsible for team effectiveness? 00:40:23 - Pat's favourite role in the past 00:43:47 - Figuring out what you like and dislike doing 00:44:46 - What do you want to do? 00:46:54 - Growth mindset