5 Things I Learned the Hard Way as a Manager of Managers

Leaders don’t become great because of their power but because of their ability to empower others

Credit: Author

When I moved from being an individual contributor (IC) to a manager, my responsibilities shifted from doing work to getting things done through others. My job was no longer about the number of lines of code I wrote, what bugs I fixed, or the changes I pushed to production. It involved bringing people together, helping them realize their own potential, and empowering them to produce some of their best work.

The mindset shift from going solo to promoting teamwork, thinking about my growth to being responsible for others, and avoiding conflicts to embracing them took some time to get used to. I made plenty of mistakes, learned from them, experimented with new strategies, and repeated the process. The experience was rewarding and fulfilling; I was growing and learning — knowing there’s so much to do and finding ways to get better at it in some way was addictive.

My ability to approach change with curiosity and creatively solve big problems with calmness and strategy got me to the next chapter in my career. I was no longer managing ICs; I was now managing other managers. Being responsible for people who were responsible for so many others was…