Directors who split teams by promoting two new managers can make themselves redundant; instead, keep one team under their own management to stay productive and avoid boredom.
When a director of engineering sees rapid growth, the instinct is to split a large team into two smaller ones and promote or hire two new engineering managers. That sounds logical, but it often leaves the director with only two direct reports and no other meaningful work, effectively making the role redundant. The article calls this "on-the-job retirement" and warns that the director will become bored, frustrated, or may leave the company.
The problem arises because the director hands off all responsibility without retaining a hands-on role. With two new EMs, the director is forced into a choice: micromanage the teams, which undermines the new managers, or stay distant, which strips the director of impact. This pattern creates unnecessary churn, forces multiple new managers to climb the learning curve at once, and can damage morale across the organization.
A better pattern is to promote or hire just one EM for the new sub-team and keep the other sub-team under the director's own management, acting as an engineering manager even after the title change. This keeps the director's span of control in the healthy 5-8 range, preserves a direct impact channel, and avoids the redundancy trap. The director remains involved in day-to-day engineering work while still overseeing the broader organization.
By maintaining a direct role, the director can coach the new EM, ensure continuity, and keep momentum during growth phases. The approach reduces the risk of "meddling" or "on-the-job retirement," supports smoother transitions, and helps retain both talent and organizational velocity as teams split and scale.
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