Are you a manager? Why?

In season 1 of the EITF project, we asked our experts what the transition from an IC (Individual Contributor) to a manager looks like. Here’s our general idea of where management stands today.


If you look back to ten years ago, managers were mostly people who were promoted from within, and were uniformly excellent performers. Once promoted, they were expected to act as technical leadership for the team.





Today, the definition of management has evolved quite a bit. Our experts from season 1 say that you can be a technical leader, but that doesn’t automatically make you a manager. Management requires a whole different set of skills. 



  • To begin with, a notable change in function from IC to manager is that up to 80% of a manager’s day will be hands-off. Delegation is an art for managers.

  • Management today involves learning all the methodologies and tools required - most technical teams use Agile and Zoom and Teams meetings to keep up with offshore teams. It also involves a lot of communication to make sure everyone is in sync, sometimes checking in multiple times during the day. 

  • Our experts also say that good managers care a lot about creating careers for their team. If an excellent performer in the team has an interest in another team, encouraging them to pursue their passions and enabling them to do so, is a common trait amongst successful managers.

  • Lastly, our experts say that management is a skill. It is about making the team want to work with you, rather than making the team work for you. The balancing act between maintaining the titular position and also working with the team is hard to achieve. 


Overall, considering how the word “manager” has evolved in meaning today, our experts’ advice is to try the position on for size if offered, but also to evaluate whether you actually like the job. They say that stepping down from management today is not a demotion.


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