Career discussions with engineers invariably hit upon the topic of “management” at some point.

There’s a lot to unpack when these come up, but as a foundation for thinking about and discussing it, I usually start with the following framework or mental model.

The preconditions for someone moving into people management are threefold.

In order for an engineer to become a manager, there must be:

• Opportunity / Need
• Interest
• Aptitude

Opportunity / Need

This is pretty straightforward. If a 6-person engineering team has a manager and isn’t planning on growing in the next year, there really isn’t an opportunity or need for another manager on the team.

Interest

Similarly, if there’s a need for a manager but if no one is interested in the role, then no one on the existing team is going to make the transformation, even if they might be suited for it.

Aptitude

Sometimes there’s both need and interest by someone looking to move into people leadership. This is where things may get a bit messy.

The last and equally critical piece of the puzzle is aptitude. Can the person do the job? I have a few determinants here.

First, are they effective in their current role? If they’re undependable as an engineer, can’t execute on projects, have trouble being an effective executive of their time, etc. why would I put them in a role that is even more demanding in those same avenues?

Second, managers must create clarity and determine what’s next often with little direction. They drive results for their team and set the pace.

I apply the following acid test as a starting place for assessing this form of aptitude.

An individual contributor says they’re interested in management. We discuss motivations, differences in the role, etc. Then, I typically recommend a number of follow-up ideas or resources for them to learn about managmeent.

For example, I might suggest they set up a 1:1 with the VP of Engineering at the organization or talk to $X who made a similar switch just 12 months ago. Or go and read Radical Candor or listen to the Manager Tools “Basics” series. I tell them to let me know when they’ve had a chance to do some of those things. I then let the discussion sit for a while.

Some never bring it up again.

Others, come back months later and restart the conversation.

IC: Hey, what ever happened with that manager role we were going to need?

Me: Glad you brought it up! Did you have a chance to listen to those podcasts or read those books or talk with those people? I’d love to hear your thoughts. No? Oh. Ok. Let’s talk about what fell off there…

There’s a last group though that hears the suggestions and goes and does them. They come back a week later and want to talk about some aspect of the latest podcast episode they just listened to. Or I hear from the VPE that they had a great conversation with the person.

It’s this last group who has the aptitude for management.

The same quality in that person that took a small suggestion and followed up on it will mean they are 10x more likely to make their team successful.

A stakeholder on a project isn’t being responsive for an engineer. Will the manager throw their hands up and just say “I’m not sure what to do?” or will they figure out how to create clarity?

If you have a need for new managers in your organization, I strongly believe that promoting managers from within is one of the best things you can do. Look for folks who are interested in the role and demonstrate the aptitude and drive to be successful.

These three aspects are a sort of Proterozoic soup out of which an engineer can evolve into a manager.