How hands-on should an engineering manager be, and what do we lose or gain as we move away from the code? In this episode we dig into the messy middle between technical work, people leadership and the hunt for that spark that keeps us excited.

Using our own careers as the backdrop, we unpack what “hands-on” really means.

Is it code, system thinking, process, delivery, people, or all of it at once?

We talk about losing technical confidence, finding excitement again, navigating vulnerability, and working out when you’re still adding value… or just getting in the way.

And yes, unicycles somehow made it into the episode.

If this sparks any thoughts, tell us what you think about the episode or about being hands-on yourself. You can find us both on LinkedIn.

• 00:00 – Intro and what we mean by “hands-on”

• 01:23 – Code, contribution and confidence

• 04:35 – Technical work beyond coding

• 08:39 – Losing old skills and chasing excitement

• 11:54 – Enabling engineers and knowing who to bring in

• 18:51 – Vulnerability, updates and not knowing the detail

• 22:22 – Learning complexity over time

• 26:39 – EMs without engineering backgrounds

• 29:56 – Missing hands-on work and finding balance

• 31:52 – EM archetypes and where we fit

• 45:42 – Staying technical through side projects

• 48:03 – What we miss, what excites us and takeaways

• 53:46 – How to share feedback and keep the chat going

Pat Kua’s 5 Engineering Manager Archetypes: https://www.patkua.com/blog/5-engineering-manager-archetypes/

Simon Wardley - From here to there and back again: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hEjjCI3kTM4

Tell us what you think about the episode or about being hands-on yourself:

• Si on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sijobling

• Neil on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/neilyounger

Created by Si Jobling and Neil Younger

Recorded and edited in Descript

Hosted on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and YouTube

Produced, artwork and publishing by Unstyled Studios

Check out our podcast host, Pinecast. Start your own podcast for free with no credit card required. If you decide to upgrade, use coupon code r-b0b82e for 40% off for 4 months, and support Managing Engineers.

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In this episode, Si and Neil dive into learning as engineering managers, how they approach it personally, how teams respond to it, and why it’s weirdly hard to make time for something everyone claims to value.

They chat about learning budgets, 10 percent time, hackathons, internal conferences, external speakers, audiobooks, Blinkist, reflection time, and why inspiration often hits when you’re nowhere near your laptop. They unpack different learning styles, the pressure to deliver, how to support engineers who don’t know what to learn next, and why rest is just as important as active learning.

Here are the references we talked through:

• Wardley Mapping: https://learnwardleymapping.com

• LeadDev Conference: https://leaddev.com

• Blinkist: https://www.blinkist.com

• LinkedIn Learning: https://www.linkedin.com/learning

• Agile Cambridge: https://agilecambridge.net

• R&D tax credits: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/corporation-tax-research-and-development-rd-relief

Tell us what you think about the episode or learning yourself:

• Si on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sijobling/

• Neil on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/neil-younger/

• [00:00] Setting up episode two and the learning theme

• [01:39] Why learning matters to us as engineering managers

• [03:30] Budgets, 10 percent time and the reality of making space

• [07:14] Internal learning, conferences and hackathons

• [09:01] External training, facilitators and different learning styles

• [13:14] Conferences, insights and the value of being in the room

• [17:51] Making learning visible and building a culture around it

• [20:20] Books, audiobooks, Blinkist and how we actually consume content

• [25:18] Reflection time, walking, swimming and idea generation

• [33:03] Helping people choose what to learn next (including AI pressure)

• [34:25] Rest, burnout, and why taking breaks is part of learning

• [44:05] Community budgets, experts and learning that sticks

• [47:09] What we both learned this episode and wrapping up

Produced by Unstyled Studios

Hosted by Si Jobling & Neil Younger

Audio editing by Si Jobling

Made with Descript

Hosted on Pinecast

Check out our podcast host, Pinecast. Start your own podcast for free with no credit card required. If you decide to upgrade, use coupon code r-b0b82e for 40% off for 4 months, and support Managing Engineers.

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In this pilot episode, Si and Neil get to know each other on mic for the first time.

They chat about how they got into software engineering, the early days of web and testing communities, and how their careers shifted into management. There are stories about deleting databases, breaking websites, rediscovering in-person meetups, and what it really means to learn and lead. They also touch on AI, inclusion, and the joy (and nerves) of starting something new.

WE'D LOVE YOUR FEEDBACK!

Got thoughts on this episode, ideas for future topics, or just want to say hello? Connect with us on LinkedIn:

• Si - https://www.linkedin.com/in/sijobling/
• Neil - https://www.linkedin.com/in/neil-younger/

CHAPTERS

[00:00] Setting up and getting comfortable [01:00] Work schedules and the nine-day fortnight [02:00] Who we are and how we got here [08:00] Biggest mistakes in tech (and what we learned) [12:00] Early tech influences and first computers [17:00] The importance of community in tech [20:00] Online vs in-person events [26:00] Skill swaps and learning together [30:00] The power of community in learning [32:00] Talking about AI in software engineering [37:00] How we actually use AI day to day [39:00] The future of AI and education [41:00] What we’re trying to achieve with this podcast [44:00] Learning new tech and making the space comfortable [46:00] Diversity, privilege, and representation in tech [49:00] Planning the first 10 episodes and asking for feedback [52:00] Wrapping up and where to reach us

Find out more at http://podcast.managingengineers.net

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This one is about performance reviews - the anti-patterns of how things shouldn't be done and some pro tips on how things COULD be done.

03:57 What are performance reviews?

11:11 How to do performance reviews

15:27 Any themes or trends?

19:48 The danger of metrics

22:46 Who gets the hype?

27:11 The future of performance reviews

31:57 Wrap it up in a bow

Email your thoughts to info@managingengineerspodcast.com or reach out to https://managingengineers.net/@Adrian or https://managingengineers.net/@Si if you're on the Mastodon fediverse.

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Find out more at http://podcast.managingengineers.net

Check out our podcast host, Pinecast. Start your own podcast for free with no credit card required. If you decide to upgrade, use coupon code r-b0b82e for 40% off for 4 months, and support Managing Engineers.

Read transcript