Leading With Confidence: How Engineering Managers Can Avoid Technical Decay

Discover practical approaches to prevent the gradual decline of technical skills that many engineering managers face after transitioning from hands-on coding. This article presents six actionable strategies: conducting technical deep-dives in one-on-ones, establishing knowledge-sharing sessions, developing side projects to learn new technologies, following engineering blogs systematically, considering the engineer-manager pendulum career path, and teaching through technical writing. Each method helps bridge the technical gap between managers and their teams while avoiding burnout from overwork. The article emphasizes that the goal isn't to match senior engineers' coding prowess but to maintain sufficient technical understanding for effective leadership. Particularly valuable for new engineering managers concerned about losing technical edge, it provides a balanced framework for staying technically relevant while fulfilling management responsibilities.