When You Can't Measure What Matters If you’ve been working in tech, you know how much measurement matters.

Did that conversation work? You won't know for weeks. Maybe never. How do you measure influence, support, guidance? This week's newsletter is about what you can't measure.

(9/9) So why do we continue to act as if clear job descriptions and competency lists provide adequate preparation for one of the most challenging transitions in the tech industry?

(8/9) They understand that delegation is important but may not know how to relinquish technical control. They recognise the need for feedback, yet freeze when it comes to having difficult conversations with former peers.

(7/9) They understand that delegation is important but may not know how to relinquish technical control. They recognise the need for feedback, yet freeze when it comes to having difficult conversations with former peers.

(5/9) The gap between knowing and doing is where most new engineering managers find themselves stuck. They may be able to check the right boxes on paper but often struggle with the messy, nuanced reality of actually leading people.

(4/9) You can read about 'developing others' and 'strategic thinking' all you want, but when you find yourself across the table from a struggling team member or facing your first major technical decision as a leader, those competency frameworks suddenly feel very theoretical.

(3/9) It's akin to giving someone a detailed recipe for a soufflé and expecting them to perfect it on the first try.

(2/9) While oragnisations now articulate the technical track versus the management track quite well there is a dangerous assumption that simply knowing what effective leadership looks like means one can actually practice it.

(1/9) I strongly believe that having clearly defined career paths and leadership competency frameworks is not enough for new engineering managers.

(Read the entire thread 🧵👇)

State of the Global Workplace Report Get the workplace trends, global engagement metrics and advice on how organizations can improve the workplace in the State of the Global Workplace Report.

Leaders have better life evaluations but worse days. That's from Gallup's 2026 report. Ask a leader "how's your career going?" and it's positive. Ask "how was your day?" and it's a different story. The role is harder than it looks from the outside.

www.gallup.com/workplace/34...

Good point and I find myself both agreeing and disagreeing at the same time :). Which means there is nuance to this.

High-performers sometimes outgrow organisations and it becomes important for them to leave and organisations to let them go.

(2/2) Not every departure is a verdict on your leadership. People leave for growth, change, and reasons that make sense to them.

But the ones who genuinely drive people away? They don't lose sleep over it.

#engineeringleadership #techlead #leadership #management

(1/2) "Are my direct reports secretly planning to leave because of me?"
You've started reading into everything. The distant 1-to-1. The shifted energy after feedback. The hushed conversation by the coffee machine. And you feel you can't ask directly.

When You Miss Being 'One of Them' Something happened in the leadership meeting.

Do you miss being one of them instead of the manager? More in this week's newsletter.

meenavenkataraman.substack.com/p/when-you-m...

New to leadership? I send a monthly newsletter with insights I don't share anywhere else. Honestly, it's my favourite thing to write.
No spam. Pinky promise.

Link - preview.mailerlite.io/forms/136908...

(7/7) I post here about the real challenges of that first leadership transition. The messy stuff that doesn't fit neatly into a training course.

(6/7) I post here about the real challenges of that first leadership transition. The messy stuff that doesn't fit neatly into a training course.

(5/7) The very skills that got you promoted can become the invisible walls holding you back.

I've seen the stress that follows you home. The self-doubt. The quiet worry that maybe you're not cut out for this after all.

(4/7) Now I help engineering managers who feel stuck between their technical identity and their new leadership responsibilities. The confidence you had debugging complex systems can feel very far away when you're sitting across from a team member having a difficult conversation.

(3/7) I had learning budgets, training catalogues, books and podcasts. But none of it really helped. I was meandering through my career until I finally found the right support. I just wish I'd had it from the start.

(2/7) Why do I do this work?
I spent over 20 years working with tech teams and their leaders. My career was going well until I started climbing the ladder and life transitions collided. Moving countries, becoming a parent, leading teams.

(1/7) If you're new here, welcome. I'm Meena Venkataraman, founder of Code to Leadership.

I work with new engineering managers in tech to help them navigate the transition from coding to leading so that they thrive in their new role.

Get in touch for a free no-obligation conversation: https://www.rfr.bz/bf2191d

30-Minute Initial Conversation - Meena Venkataraman 30-Minute Initial Conversation

Ever felt like coaching is something you'll get to when things calm down? That hour isn't just talking. It's untangling the knot you've been circling for weeks. One hour of focused coaching often saves hours of ruminating.
#engineeringleadership

New to leadership? I send a monthly newsletter with insights I don't share anywhere else. Honestly, it's my favourite thing to write.
No spam. Pinky promise.

Link - preview.mailerlite.io/forms/136908...

The hardest shift for new engineering managers? Not skills. Identity. From brilliant problem-solver to enabling others to shine. My 1:1 coaching gives you safe space to figure out who you are now. DM me if you'd like to talk.

You're expected to figure this out alone. Who has the time when you're drowning in meetings and the next 1:1?
If you're navigating this, get in touch.

#engineeringleadership #engineeringmanager

No break is complete without ice cream :). A day trip to Virginia Water with friends and family. Nothing says better weather like the ice cream van.

The Identity Vacuum Who are you when you’re not the technical expert anymore?

Who are you when you're not the technical expert anymore? This is the question lurking beneath most conversations I have with engineering leaders.

More about this in today's article

meenavenkataraman.substack.com/p/the-identi...

Once a month, I send out a newsletter with insights and resources I don't share anywhere else.

You'll also be the first to hear about upcoming workshops, events, and new services.

No spam. Pinky promise.

Link to signup - preview.mailerlite.io/forms/136908...