This talk is about the difference between being a manager, a manager of managers, and a manager of managers of managers.
Most management advice treats leadership as a linear ladder, but the reality is more like a series of “vibe shifts” that force you to reinvent yourself at every level. If you try to manage a Director the same way you managed a Junior Engineer, you’re going to fail—and probably burn out in the process.
In this talk, I’ll share what I’ve learned from the unique experience of moving up and down the management chain, from 1st-line lead to 3rd-line executive and back again. We’ll skip the theory and get into the messy reality of three distinct roles:
- Managing ICs: Learning to stop “doing” and start “enabling” without losing your technical edge.
- Managing Managers: How to coach for leadership instead of technical output, and how to tell if a team is healthy when you’re no longer in the day-to-day.
- Managing Organizations: Using organizational design and strategy as your primary tools when you can no longer rely on personal relationships alone.
Whether you’re eyeing your first lead role or you’re a seasoned Director, you’ll leave with a better understanding of how to adjust your “flight altitude” and avoid the trap of using yesterday’s skills to solve today’s problems.
Key takeaways
- Identify the “success traps” where habits from your previous level actually hinder your performance in a new role.
- Learn how to audit a team’s health through layers of abstraction without micromanaging your managers.
- Develop a framework for coaching leadership skills rather than just overseeing project delivery.
- Understand why moving “down” the ladder can be a strategic move to sharpen your perspective and long-term impact.
