Eng manager == Eng leader?

Stripe
RrAA03

Go to company page Stripe

RrAA03
Apr 24 18 Comments

Recently I've been noticing a lot of engineering managers say engineering leader or leadership on their LinkedIn profiles. Since when did that start happening? IMO this is so far from reality that just the thought of a middle manager calling themselves a leader makes me 🤮. How true is it for your company?

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TOP 18 Comments
  • Kinda related, but I never noticed Staff Engineer being a title until like a year ago when I joined blind. To me, staff sounds like it should be low-ranking rather than high. Why did this become a thing? Is it just because Senior has become so devalued?
    Apr 24 6
    • I think for accountants (like in big 4s), staff is the lowest level. And this industry has been around for longer. Maybe that’s where you got that impression. Not an accountant, so might not be accurate, I think their levels are staff accountant I, staff accountant II, associate accountant, manager, senior manager, partner. But it could just be professional services firms inflating their titles. Some firms, VP is their lowest rank, lol
      Apr 24
    • Meta
      metably

      Go to company page Meta

      metably
      I think the impression just comes from common usage. "Staff" just means employee.... As in "staffing firms" being low level employee placement agencies. When you "staff" a project you allocate employees to a project. the common usage of the word has no meaning that implies seniority or leadership.
      Apr 24
  • New
    deadlock💀

    New

    deadlock💀
    Are they probably LCing to switch jobs? 🤔
    Apr 24 0
  • Meta
    metably

    Go to company page Meta

    metably
    Meta calls anything with managers "leadership." Like, a meeting of EMs is a "leadership meeting." Recruiters will reach out to external EMs "looking for someone to join our leadership team." I completely understand your sentiment.
    Apr 24 0
  • Oracle / Product
    11197_vest

    Go to company page Oracle Product

    PRE
    Microsoft
    11197_vest
    management training materials for the last 5 years (that I’ve noticed) are making the point than being a leader is better than a manager. Just Google leader vs. manager. The core concepts are spot on, but there is so much cringe material added to it and we have bought into the cringe. As a result we are rebranding ourselves in our LI profiles (without really changing anything about our work) and making sure we’re using the right terms that’ll get us the most attention.
    Apr 24 0
  • Most managers i’ve worked with delegate their entire job to the most senior dev and then fill their calendars with low impact meetings and 1-1’s to create the appearance of importance
    Apr 24 0