The Top 3 Challenges Facing Engineering Leaders Today—And How to Overcome Them

It's no secret that a tech startup is only as good as its engineering team. It's tempting to follow that statement by saying an engineering team is only as good as its talent. That's true, to some extent, but it takes expertise and leadership to get the most out of your talent—and, of course, to identify and recruit the right employees in the first place. To use the most obvious analogy, even an all-star soccer team is unlikely to win a championship without a savvy coach at the helm. Similarly, even the most stacked engineering team (pardon the pun) risks falling short without a smart and persistent leader.

As the engineering lead at a growing up startup, I've experienced success and navigated numerous challenges. While a leader's role is multifaceted, steering the ship through difficult times is one of the most critical aspects. So let's take a look at the three biggest challenges I've encountered and how they can be overcome.

1. Hiring the Right Mix of Skills

To continue the soccer analogy, imagine for a minute that your team comprises some of the country's highest-ranked players. The only catch: they're all defenders with no forwards or midfielders. Good luck winning any games without the right mix of skills. In the context of an engineering team, the same principle applies. Everyone needs the same core skills, but different team members should possess different complementary skills. For example, it's not useful to have a team of people who are all experts in CSS but no one who can tackle the API. Similarly, if everyone is outgoing and eager to develop, but no one is thinking granularly about tech debt or reviews, your team will be hindered by the imbalance. 

A highly tailored hiring process is the key to ensuring your team is well-rounded. To start, map out what skills your team already possesses, what skills it needs, and what skills you expect it to need in the year or two ahead. Then, tailor the hiring process to that. A coding challenge is one of the best ways to get to know how a prospective employee thinks, particularly since you can adjust the rubric to emphasize the skills your team currently lacks. It's basically akin to a try-out. In addition to looking for engineers that complement existing employees, you should also look for ones with the potential for upward mobility. I love bringing in eager-to-learn junior engineers and offering them the support needed to grow. When senior developers mentor new employees, it improves team cohesiveness as well. 

2. Toggling Between Creative Endeavors and the Project Roadmap

A key component of leadership is balance—not just balancing your team's skill mix but balancing their focus. You must encourage team members to split their time between adhering to the project roadmap and pursuing innovation. Product innovation is crucial for our team because many of our engineers fit the user profile. They have the best pulse on what's working and what could be improved. In addition to outlining a clear product roadmap, encourage engineers to keep an eye out for potential enhancements—particularly those that would be considered low-hanging fruit. 

Employees should give about 50% to 60% of their time to building things on the roadmap and the rest to things they want to work on. For the latter, I don't mean irresponsible passion projects. Innovation should still relate to overarching company goals, whether activating users or speeding up the release process. Smaller side projects should always align with the team and the company. As the engineering lead, it's your job to ensure your team reviews company goals, discusses innovation, and follows the roadmap. Ideally, your team should be in conversation with other teams in the company, too, to ensure alignment.

3. Keep Morale High Despite Headwinds and Uncertainty

Last, it's important to understand that your team doesn't operate in a bubble. The news cycle is full of concerning headlines about slow economic growth and a looming recession. A good leader will acknowledge this reality and explain to employees what it means for the company at large and the engineering team in particular. For example, perhaps there will be fewer new hires as a result of overall company finances. Explain this to your team and how it affects where the team should focus its efforts. Sometimes, hiring fewer people actually makes for an exciting challenge, as there's far more room for creative solutions and cross-team experimentation.

Regardless, it's crucial to explain the macro situation to your team clearly and give them the opportunity to ask any questions. If there's seemingly bad company news at an all-hands, for instance, set up a time to debrief and discuss new information as a team afterward, in addition to addressing concerns during one-on-ones. The tech industry might be facing more headwinds than usual, but it's still an exciting industry with tremendous room for growth. As a leader, it's your job to remind employees of this reality and help them embrace challenges. It's still a fantastic time to be in tech and an exciting time to serve as engineering lead. If you can overcome these three top challenges, your team will be well on the way to success.