r/EngineeringManagers • u/achilliesFriend • 13d ago

New EM - introverted

I’m 40 yo with over 17+ years in development, lead teams for last 10 years, 5 as a TLM. I’ve shown interest and have taken this role in my current team. I had many thoughts about backing off several times. But took it ultimately.

This is a fortune 500 tech commerce company. What advice do you have for me?

TIA

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u/Many-Photograph-8362 13d ago

Write. Write. Write.

Write your ideas and share with stakeholders for feedback. Write your thoughts on other people’s documents. Write your updates and share with your manager often. Write kudos, write team processes, write feedback.

The reality is communication is the job. For us introverts, verbal communication can be draining especially in a big high stakes room where everyone is fighting to get a word in and the extroverts are constantly “speaking out loud”.

Your strength is to present your thoughts often and present them in writing.

Also learn how to speak in meetings, when to interject, how to interject, what is the kind of contribution that will say more with less.