Engineering Leadership Styles

For engineering managers, leadership style has become an essential way of establishing and distinguishing who you are and which teams you are suitable to lead. Because of this, leadership style has become a frequent topic of interest in engineering management circles, making appearances in writings and talks. But style can seem like a vague term that doesn’t convey a lot of meaning about what the concept includes or why it holds such a central role in the lives and livelihoods of engineering managers.

In this chapter, we will demystify what an engineering leadership style is and why it matters. We will review the origins of leadership styles and where they come from as relevant to modern software development. We will introduce common engineering leadership-style archetypes and discuss their effectiveness. We will close the chapter by learning how to develop your own style with intention and authenticity.

By the end of this chapter, you will...