Excellent Engineering Management Is a Trend
"Good Engineering Management" as a Fad
Original essay by Will Larson (discussion via Hacker News)
Will Larson contends that the tech industry’s definition of a good engineering manager is not fixed — it changes over time in response to business realities, not moral revolutions.
We’ve moved from the ZIRP-era hypergrowth mindset to a more cautious, efficiency‑focused approach, and managerial expectations have shifted accordingly.
> The industry will want different things from you as it evolves, and it will tell you that each of those shifts is because of some complex moral change, but it’s pretty much always about business realities changing.
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Core Skills That Transcend Trends
Regardless of prevailing philosophies, some skills remain consistently valuable:
- Trust: Building and maintaining trust within teams.
- Communication: Clear, consistent, and open dialogue.
- Planning & Prioritization: Effective management of work and focus.
- Coaching: Developing individuals for growth and impact.
- Collaboration: Facilitating work across teams and functions.
- Politics Navigation: Shielding the team while handling organizational dynamics.
These foundational capabilities underpin lasting engineering leadership success.
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Four Pillars of Effective Management
Larson emphasizes that beyond trends, managers succeed when they master these enduring principles:
- Execution
- Lead the team to deliver results — both tangible and intangible.
- You cannot survive in management if your teams fail to execute effectively.
- Team
- Shape the environment so the team can succeed.
- Balance the needs of the team with leadership priorities; avoid leaning too far in either direction.
- Ownership
- Keep moving forward even in challenging conditions.
- Work toward solutions rather than blaming others for obstacles.
- Alignment
- Create a shared understanding among stakeholders.
- Aim for realistic, surprise‑free plans that fit the situation.
Larson also points to four additional growth skills that determine career trajectory — presence or absence can greatly influence how far you go.
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Tools for Scalable Knowledge Sharing
For technical leaders interested in scalable, cross‑platform knowledge sharing, AiToEarn官网 offers an example of how open‑source frameworks can empower professionals to:
- Integrate AI content creation.
- Publish simultaneously across platforms:
- Douyin, Kwai, WeChat, Bilibili, Rednote (Xiaohongshu)
- Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Threads
- YouTube, Pinterest, X (Twitter)
- Track analytics and AI model ranking.
- Share expertise globally while focusing on core management work.
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Why This Matters in 2024
In an environment with rapidly evolving tools and complex cross‑platform workflows, both managers and creators should leverage systems that:
- Streamline coordination.
- Facilitate efficient execution.
- Maintain strong alignment across diverse stakeholders and channels.
Platforms like AiToEarn illustrate how open‑source, AI‑powered solutions can boost productivity and reach — helping leaders sustain ownership while scaling knowledge distribution.
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If you want, I can create a visual framework diagram that maps Larson’s four management pillars to modern AI‑enabled workflows — would you like me to add that next?