Tech leads invest in their people skills.

They will typically have some mentorship responsibilities as part of their leadership—whether as engineering manager or individual contributor. They will often need to influence people they have no authority over. This is one role that allows someone to try out leadership skills without committing to a management path.rF2


  1. Camille Fournier, The Manager’s Path: A Guide for Tech Leaders Navigating Growth and Change, ed. Laurel Ruma, First Edition (Beijing: O’Reilly, 2017). (See notes.)