High level IC (individual contributors) should have a support group. Managing the transition from being “just another engineer” to being a “force multiplier by working through others” is tough. Talking to others that have managed that transition is calming.
Your role suddenly goes from cranking out lots of code to mentoring/growing others, and shaping the team culture. Often times companies train managers but don’t formally prepare ICs for those roles. Learn on the job, become a great people person!
One of the hardest things is measuring your impact. You don’t have anyone reporting to you, and you are no longer being judge solely on your technical abilities. What did you do at the end of the year? It can feel very abstract at times.
There’s also a lot more meetings somehow. So you don’t have a team, you’re not supposed to be coding really and you got to lots of meetings and give advice? Turns out lending your expertise is hugely impactful and part of the shift is learning how to talk about what you do.
Learning how to talk about parts of the product you influenced without feeling like you’re taking credit for things you didn’t directly touch. It’s hard but it’s part of the role shift.
All that’s said, I still code all the time and I use it like a weapon when I have spare time. It’s also a way for me to have deep discussions with other members on the team about implementation details. It’s not always the best use of my time but it makes me happy 😊
There’s a place for us to exist! Don’t cave to become a people manager (no shade), I’ve been to asked many times.
I nominate @rakyll to start this cross company support group 🙃
The leaders in my division spend time on this and offer mentoring rings (which I participate in) with high level ICs. They are like therapy.
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