An Elegant Puzzle: Systems of Engineering Management

by Will Larson

A different approach would be to instead work on identifying the gaps that would keep you from being a strong head of engineering, and then start using your current role to help fill those gaps. A prototypical head of engineering will be skilled at organizational design, process design, business strategy, recruiting, mentoring, coaching, public speaking, and written communication. They’ll also have a broad personal network and a broad foundation from product engineering to infrastructure engineering. That’s not even a particularly complete list of relevant skills! There are so many different aspects to build out, and you can find opportunities to practice all of them in your current role. There’s no need to convince yourself that your current role is holding you back—everything you need is here.