Become the engineering leader your team actually wants to follow
“Why is this so hard, and what ACTUALLY is the point?”
1:1 practical coaching for engineering managers and tech leads who are done guessing and ready to lead with clarity. Over 4–6 focused weeks, you'll build the skills to handle difficult conversations, align your team, and actually enjoy the role—starting from your very first session.
30-minute call. No commitment, no sales pitch.
Why is this so hard?
Taking the step into leadership isn't a career promotion; it's a complete career change.
As an engineer, you only really have one lever to pull: you try to increase the impact of the technology you and those close to you build.
When you move up to leadership, you're immediately presented with an overwhelming set of new levers and a smiling manager saying, “You just need to find your leadership style!”
The complexity of the system you are dealing with explodes overnight, and the number of non-deterministic elements (people & organisations) increases.
If you feel like everything has become completely unpredictable, you're right.
What's actually going wrong?
Almost all challenges that you face as an engineering lead can be understood by focusing on three root causes.
A trust problem
Every individual approaches trust in a very different way. Some engineers will look at your engineering process and trust that you are the right person to lead the team. Others might be sceptical and require you to build their trust over time through consistent action.
Misaligned expectations
Tell everyone in a room to imagine “a fish,” and they'll all picture something different. Now apply that to “MVP”, “done”, or “this feature is simple”. Misalignment is the default state, and it takes deliberate effort to fix.
Missing motivation
Very few engineers started coding to “maximise shareholder value”. For all but a lucky few, that's what we're here for. Engineers' default behaviour when they start to sniff out this deception is to either become demotivated or bury themselves in the technical task.
The reality for engineering leaders
Leadership in engineering is rewarding but brutally under-supported. These numbers reflect what most new engineering managers and tech leads are up against.
of managers are “accidental managers” with no formal leadership training — CMI
of employees have quit a job because of their manager — DDI
average time to feel confident in a new leadership role with coaching
of leaders regret or doubt taking their leadership role — DDI Global Leadership Forecast
How my leadership coaching for engineering leads works
Every person is different, but the process usually follows four (plus one) simple steps.
Step 0: Analysis & Goal Setting
We'll discuss your problem and identify what you're really trying to achieve. Together, we'll set achievable, measurable goals for you and define a plan for how you'll start moving towards them.
Step 1: Purpose Definition
By defining your purpose---the things you actually care about---we can align the goals we set with your internal motivations.
Disclaimer: The chances that you'll conclude you want to be a sheep farmer on a remote island are pretty high at this point.
Step 2: Dependency Map
We all love to think we are in control of our own destiny. But in reality, multiple factors push and pull us in unpredictable directions.
Your team, your stakeholders, even your friends and family, have an impact on the systems that drive your success. We'll map out those dependencies and help you understand the external inputs that factor into achieving your goals.
Step 3: Action Plan
We'll define a simple action plan together that will help you move towards your ultimate goals. We'll agree on clear steps you'll take and what success looks like for each step.
Step 4: Deliver, Review, Repeat
Then, if you're confident that you can achieve your goals with the plan we've built, I'll leave you alone to fly your own path.
Alternatively, we can set up periodic check-ins to keep you accountable and help you stay prepared for pivots along the way.
Common questions
Questions I hear from engineering managers and tech leads.
Is this therapy?
No. This is practical leadership coaching, not therapy. We focus on concrete challenges you're facing at work---how to handle a difficult team dynamic, how to push back on unrealistic deadlines, how to have a conversation you've been avoiding. That said, if something deeper comes up, I'll always be honest about when a different kind of support might help.
What if I think I'm the problem?
That self-awareness is actually a great starting point. Most of the engineering leaders I work with feel this way at some stage. The truth is usually more nuanced---you're operating in a system with unclear expectations, competing priorities, and very little support. We'll figure out what's actually yours to own and what isn't.
Can you help me handle difficult conversations?
Yes, and this is one of the most common things we work on. Whether it's giving tough feedback, managing up, or navigating conflict within your team, we'll prepare together so you walk into those conversations with a clear plan and the confidence to see them through.
How is this different from a generic leadership coach?
I've spent my career in engineering and technology leadership. I understand the specific dynamics of engineering teams---the culture, the way engineers think, the tension between technical excellence and business pressure. You won't need to spend half the session explaining what a sprint is or why your team cares about code quality.
Do I need my manager's approval?
Ideally your manager is supportive, and many organisations will fund coaching as part of professional development. But it's not required. Plenty of engineering leaders invest in coaching themselves because they see it as an investment in their own career. Either way, what we discuss stays between us.
Stop guessing. Start leading.
In 30 minutes, you'll get straight answers about your biggest leadership challenge—and a clear next step.
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