Becoming an engineering director

What does stepping into this role really look like?

I was promoted to director less than a year after becoming a manager. In the movie version of my life, getting promoted was a recognition of years of hard work and undeniable, innate leadership ability. The truth is probably closer to me being the available warm body to throw at the problem.

To set the scene, it had been about eight months since I had switched tracks from individual contributor (IC) to manager. I walked into a meeting with the VP of Engineering for what I thought would be a compensation adjustment to go along with the change in my role.

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