Why Engineering Managers Grapple with Confidence Development

Welcome to Leading Engineers - a weekly newsletter specifically for engineering leaders who want to increase your impact at every level of the organization.  Each week you’ll gain powerful strategies, techniques, and insights for driving your team, company, and career forward!

This week's topic: Why Engineering Managers Grapple with Confidence Development

As engineering managers, our journey is an intricate tapestry woven with technical prowess, strategic acumen, and visionary leadership. Yet, amidst the complexities of our roles, one recurring challenge often looms large: the development of confidence.

Here are some common hurdles that impede our path to confidence and explore strategies to overcome them.

Perfectionism: The Double-Edged Sword

Our engineering background instills in us a relentless pursuit of perfection, a trait that serves us well in our technical endeavors. However, when translated into leadership roles, this pursuit can become a double-edged sword. The propensity to set impossibly high standards for ourselves often leads to a skewed perception of failure, eroding our confidence in the process.

Imposter Syndrome: The Silent Saboteur

Imposter syndrome, a phenomenon prevalent across various professions, rears its head with particular intensity in the realm of engineering management.

As we navigate the transition from individual contributor to leader, doubts about our competence and legitimacy can plague our thoughts, casting a shadow of self-doubt over our abilities.

Communication Challenges: Bridging the Divide

Effective communication lies at the heart of successful leadership, yet for engineering managers, the shift from technical discourse to nuanced interpersonal interactions can be daunting.

Balancing technical precision with accessibility, navigating cross-functional collaborations, and articulating complex ideas to diverse audiences pose significant challenges that can undermine our confidence.

Constant Change: Navigating Uncharted Waters

The engineering landscape is characterized by rapid evolution and relentless innovation.

As leaders, we are tasked with staying abreast of emerging technologies, adapting to evolving market dynamics, and guiding our teams through periods of flux. The relentless pace of change can breed uncertainty and erode our confidence if we fail to embrace adaptability and resilience.

Lack of Training: The Leadership Gap

Many engineering managers ascend to leadership positions without formal training in management and leadership principles.

The absence of structured guidance leaves us navigating uncharted waters, grappling with unfamiliar responsibilities, and struggling to define success metrics in subjective domains.

Feedback Deficiency: A Blind Spot

In the realm of engineering, feedback is often synonymous with tangible outcomes—success or failure measured against objective criteria.

However, as leaders, the metrics of success become more nuanced, and the feedback landscape grows increasingly sparse. The absence of constructive criticism deprives us of valuable insights into our leadership effectiveness, hindering our growth and sowing seeds of self-doubt.

Navigating the Path Forward

Acknowledging these challenges is the first step toward fostering a culture of confidence and empowerment within the engineering management community.

By embracing vulnerability, seeking mentorship, investing in professional development, and fostering open dialogues about our struggles, you can chart a course toward confident and impactful leadership.

Which of these do you relate to or have you faced in your career? Share your experience in the comments below!

If you are are a manager who wants to lead with authority but is battling self-doubt? Check out my YouTube episode "How to Build Unshakeable Self Confidence As A Leader". You'll gain powerful strategies to develop unshakeable leadership confidence, especially for new leaders. 

- Doug Howard PE

PS - If you want to learn more about this topic, and gain access to bonus material, free training resources, and special offers - subscribe to the Leading Engineers email list CLICK HERE