Should Engineering Managers Write Code? | Inside Intercom

Engineering managers should write code occasionally to enhance their empathy, deepen their understanding of their team's challenges, and maintain respect from their reports. Balancing managerial responsibilities with hands-on coding can be beneficial, but managers must choose the right moments to engage in coding tasks. For instance, onboarding as an engineer before transitioning to management can provide crucial context about the team's work. Key Points: - Empathy and Understanding: Coding reinforces empathy for team challenges and provides practical knowledge of their work. - Respect from Reports: Managers who can code garner respect from their teams. - When to Code: - Onboard as an engineer to gain context. - Review code as a significant part of an engineer's job. - Fix small issues when they align with team priorities. - When Not to Code: - Avoid critical paths that could delay releases. - Focus on impactful managerial tasks over coding. - Resist coding as a distraction from managerial responsibilities. - Conclusion: Engineering managers should find opportunities to code, maximizing their impact on team dynamics while fulfilling their managerial roles.