At Pablo Vallejo, we have long believed that engineering managers who maintain their coding skills create more effective engineering organizations. The transition from individual contributor to manager doesn't need to mean the end of your technical journey—in fact, continuing to code can make you a more effective leader.

The Coding Manager Advantage

Engineering managers who code maintain a crucial connection to the day-to-day realities of their teams. This hands-on experience provides insights that can't be gained from status reports or metrics alone. When managers understand the codebase, tooling challenges, and technical debt from firsthand experience, they make more informed decisions about priorities, resources, and technical direction.

Consider the difference in these scenarios: A manager who hasn't written code in years might approve an aggressive timeline based on abstract estimates, while a coding manager would recognize potential integration challenges with legacy systems because they've recently worked with those components.

Finding the Right Balance

The key is finding a sustainable approach to coding that complements your management responsibilities rather than competing with them. Here's how effective engineering managers stay technically engaged:

• Dedicate 15-20% of time to hands-on technical work
• Focus on non-critical path tasks that won't block the team
• Contribute to internal tools, test infrastructure, or developer experience
• Participate in code reviews to stay familiar with the codebase
• Pair program with team members as a learning opportunity

The Engineering Manager's Role in the System

Engineering managers serve as a critical bridge between various stakeholders in the development process. An effective engineering manager connects different parts of the system, providing technical mentorship to the development team, translating technical constraints to product management, contributing architectural insights, communicating technical value to business stakeholders, and improving the developer experience through better tooling.

Common Objections and Solutions

Many engineering managers struggle to maintain coding time. Here are common challenges and practical solutions:

Time Constraints

Challenge: "I'm too busy with meetings and management tasks to code."

Solution: Block dedicated coding time on your calendar and treat it as you would any other important meeting. Even 4-6 hours per week can maintain your skills and connection to the codebase.

Skill Degradation

Challenge: "The technology is evolving too quickly for me to keep up."

Solution: Focus on understanding architectural patterns and system design principles rather than every new framework or library. Pair program with team members to learn new techniques in context.

Team Perception

Challenge: "My team might think I'm micromanaging if I contribute code."

Solution: Be transparent about your role in the codebase. Focus on areas that complement rather than compete with your team's work, such as tooling, documentation, or non-critical features.

Conclusion

Engineering managers who maintain their coding skills create a virtuous cycle: they make better technical decisions, earn greater respect from their teams, and build more effective engineering cultures. The investment in keeping your technical skills sharp pays dividends in your effectiveness as a leader.

As the technology landscape continues to evolve rapidly, the most effective engineering leaders will be those who can speak both the language of business and the language of code, serving as true bridges between these worlds.