From Code to Command
Life Experience
A Leadership Shift
The career path for a successful engineer often leads to a fork in the road: continue as a senior technical expert or step into the world of management.
I recently took the turn towards management, moving from a Lead designation to a “Manager” role. With just over nine years in the industry, I was excited for the new challenge. But I soon encountered an unexpected hurdle: managing a team where some members had significantly more or similar years of experience to mine.
My team is a mix of talent — a developer with four years of experience, one with nine, and another with over twelve. In the initial weeks, I couldn’t shake a feeling that the team, as a whole, was skeptical. It felt as if my age and years of experience were being weighed and found wanting. This led me to a spiral of self-doubt.
Is it because I don’t have 15 years of experience?
Is it because I don’t fit the stereotypical image of a “grumpy, old” manager? Or, more worryingly, am I failing at the very skills that define this new role?
I realized the issue wasn’t just about a single senior resource; it was about a collective mindset. It’s a quiet but powerful question that can hang in the air: “How did they become a manager with similar experience?”
This perspective often overlooks the immense hard work and the different set of skills required to earn a leadership role.
Understanding the Traditional Mindset in India
This challenge is often magnified in the context of traditional MNC work cultures in India. There is a deeply ingrained, often unspoken, belief that equates age and tenure with authority and competence. The career ladder is perceived as a long, steady climb, and a management role is seen as the rightful reward for those who have “put in the time”, not those who actually have “the skills”.
When a younger professional is promoted based on skill, performance, and leadership potential, it can disrupt this established worldview. The team’s skepticism, therefore, may not be a personal judgment of your abilities, but a reaction to a situation that doesn’t fit the familiar pattern. They don’t see the years of intense effort, the rapid learning, or the specific achievements that led to the promotion; they see a number that doesn’t align with their expectations of a leader.
Your value is no longer measured in lines of code, but in your ability to enable, empower, and lead a team.
Your Value Is No Longer Your Code
As senior developers, our credibility is built on our technical expertise and experience. We are the go-to people for complex problems, elegant solutions, and efficient code. When we become managers, it’s natural to think this is still our primary source of authority.
But here’s the critical shift: your job is no longer to be the best doer; it’s to be the best enabler. Your team doesn’t need you to be the top coder. They need a leader who can:
- Set a Clear Vision
- Remove Obstacles
- Leverage Their Expertise
- Be a Consistent and Fair Advocate
It’s a Marathon, Not a Sprint
The transition from peer to manager is a process. The respect you seek won’t be granted overnight. It isn’t about looking older or having more years on your resume. It’s earned through consistent actions that prove your value as a manager or any other senior position.
By focusing on enabling your team’s success, communicating a clear vision, and actively leveraging the deep experience around you, you will not only build the trust and respect of your reports but also grow into the effective, ideal manager you aspire to be.
The one who is skilled with both technology and people.
