How to break free from the leadership rut and reignite your passion:
When I first became an Engineering Resource Manager, I thought my main job would be overseeing projects, making sure deadlines were met, budgets were respected, and everything ran smoothly. But I quickly learned that managing resources, a.k.a people, is the real challenge. And honestly, it’s the part no one warns you about.
If you’re an engineering manager you know what I’m talking about. Balancing the technical side of the job with the emotional weight of leading a team of real human beings is exhausting. You’re not just responsible for project success, you’re responsible for people’s performance, growth mindset, and sometimes even their happiness.
You’re putting in extra hours to support your team, but no one’s giving you extra time to think about your own career path. If you’ve ever felt stuck in your role, wondering if you’re still motivated to sustain your leadership career anymore, you’re not alone.
The unspoken challenges of leadership
Let’s talk about what’s really going on. Here are the top struggles engineering leaders face:
- Uncompensated Workload
- You’re staying late to resolve conflicts, mentor juniors, and shield your team from organizational chaos. But when was the last time someone asked what you needed?
- No Clear Career Progression
- You’ve mastered the art of leading projects and people, but where do you go from here? Staying in the same position too long can leave you feeling stagnant.
- Emotional Burnout
- People management is emotionally draining. Keeping your team motivated and productive can sometimes feel like carrying the weight of the world… and it’s not always rewarding.
Sound familiar? These challenges don’t just affect you, when you’re disengaged, your team can feel it too. Burned-out leaders rarely inspire thriving teams.
The risk of staying stuck
Here’s the hard truth: Staying in a leadership role that drains you can hurt your career long-term.
- Your passion dwindles, making it harder to lead effectively.
- You might miss opportunities to grow because you’re too busy just “surviving” the role.
- Eventually, you risk being viewed as someone who’s plateaued rather than someone who’s growing.
Leadership shouldn’t feel like a treadmill you can’t get off. So how do you break free?
Tips for quick wins
Here are three actionable tips you can implement today to make leadership more sustainable:
- Use AI tools to prioritize your workload
- AI-powered platforms like Notion or ClickUp don’t just help organize tasks—they can streamline people management. From tracking team performance to automating status updates and meeting schedules, these tools allow you to reclaim time for strategic decisions.
- Set boundaries and enforce them
- Use a proven method like the Eisenhower Matrix to categorize your tasks. This approach helps you identify what to delegate, defer, or eliminate altogether. Combine this with time blocking to protect your schedule and clearly communicate your availability to the team.
- Start conversations about your career growth
- Schedule a meeting with your senior director to discuss your future. Frame the conversation around your goals and the value you’ve brought to the organization. Having a clear plan shows initiative and sets the stage for meaningful progress.
A Collaborative Path Forward
Here’s a different approach: Stop trying to figure this out alone. Instead, let’s build a community where engineering managers can learn from each other. Imagine having a space where you can:
- Share what’s working for you when balancing projects and people.
- Talk openly about what’s not working without judgment.
- Learn practical strategies from peers who understand your challenges.
No one’s better equipped to guide you through this than other engineering leaders who have been there. Sometimes, the best advice doesn’t come from a training manual, it comes from honest conversations.
What works for you?
This is where you come in. We want to hear from you:
- What’s the biggest challenge you’ve faced as an engineering manager?
- What’s one strategy you’ve found helpful for staying motivated or balancing your workload?
Please reply to this article and share your story with us. Your experience could be exactly what other engineering leaders need to hear.
Biggest takeaway
Leadership doesn’t have to mean burnout. By sharing feedback and learning from each other, we can redefine what it means to grow as engineering managers and industry leaders.
About Nader Mowlaee:
Nader is a career coach who believes you can get everything you want in life if you just help enough other people get what they want. He is inspired by motivating confidence in engineers and helping them take calculated actions to move forward towards their career and life goals. His mission is to enable engineers to break free from their fears and create the ideal lives and careers they desire. You can learn more about Nader through his LinkedIn account.
We would love to hear any questions you might have or stories you might share about how to break free from the leadership rut.
Please leave your comments, feedback or questions in the section below.
