This article and many others are part of the awesome-cto list. If you’re not already aware of it, I’d recommend poking through and reading the ones that stand out to you. My manager started a “book club” with the managers that report to him and this has been serving as a source of interesting discussion each month.
I switched from develoment to management (of the same team) just under 5 years ago now. Early on, I made the mistake of trying to still participate in some of the work, but I quickly abandoned that when it was obvious I was just getting in the way. My methods for staying sharp have adapted over the years. I don’t really think full pendulum swings are necessary to stay effective.
Oh wow, that’s a great list, thanks for sharing! I’m going to shamelessly borrow that and and it to the community sidebar.
Excellent article. I’m moving back to IC instead of managing (laid off all 900 people at my last job) and it’s such a nessessary switch to learn the day to day again.
Great insight! I find myself in a similar growth trajectory as an engineer (but not software), and have been considering moving in to management. That move feels like the necessary path if I want to grow my salary and continue to drive change, but I’ve been lamenting the potential loss of the focus on the technical side. Considering a back and forth approach (manager back to engineer and repeat) is an interesting take I had not actually considered.
