Do Engineering Managers Need to Code? Leveling, Calibration & Craft

In this episode of "How Many CTOs Does It Take?" podcast, hosts Scott Porad and Brad Hefta-Gaub delve into the art and science of engineering leveling frameworks. From performance reviews to competency guides, they explore how organizations can fairly evaluate engineers while balancing technical expertise, communication, ownership, and professional judgment.

They tackle tough questions like:

• Should engineering competencies be weighted differently by role or seniority?
• How do you calibrate across managers to reduce subjectivity?
• Should engineering managers still code — and if so, when does it help vs. hurt?
• How do you measure "soft" skills like business acumen or professional judgment alongside technical skills?

The conversation also touches on tech debt, culture-building, and frameworks like Dropbox's open-source engineering career ladder. If you're building or refining your engineering leveling guidelines, this episode is packed with practical insights and nuanced perspectives

• 00:00 Introduction and Employee Growth
• 00:40 Podcast Kickoff and Banter
• 01:18 Performance Reviews and Calibration
• 01:48 Defining Competencies and Calibration Process
• 06:35 Debate on Weighting Competencies
• 14:56 Subjectivity in Reviews and Tech Debt Discussion
• 18:24 Balancing Tech Debt and Business Value
• 20:23 Prioritization and Professional Judgment
• 22:05 The Role of Business Acumen in Engineering
• 24:42 The Importance of Technical and Communication Skills
• 29:38 Should Engineering Managers Code?
• 34:36 The Debate on Code Reviews and AI
• 37:04 Concluding Thoughts and Podcast Wrap-Up

Resources:

• How Many CTOs Pod: https://howmanyctospod.com
• Scott Porad: https://www.linkedin.com/in/scottporad/
• Brad Hefta-Gaub: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bradheftagaub/

#TechPodcast #EngineeringPodcast #DevTalks #PodcastForDevs #HowManyCtos #Podcast #Ctos #CtoPodcast #Technology #Engineering #SoftwareDevelopment #TechLeadership #EngineeringLeadership #CareerFrameworks #TechManagement #EngineeringCulture #LevelingGuidelines #EngineeringGrowth #TechCareers #EngineeringExcellence