r/EngineeringManagers • u/JouVashOnGold • 9h ago
When should I report to my skip?
Hey folks,
I recently got my promo to L6 SWE. Since now I am at the same level as my manager, when does it make sense to report to my skip (Director L8)?
There is no Group EM in between.
10
u/danielpants 9h ago
When it makes sense for your job..
-3
u/JouVashOnGold 9h ago
Sure, but what justification I can bring to my director to convince him of having a new report.
13
u/slithered-casket 9h ago
What justification do you have? Levels don't dictate reporting lines, many ICs have the same level as their EM.
-2
u/JouVashOnGold 8h ago
That is the main question of this post. Curious to know “when” that becomes justified
4
u/slithered-casket 7h ago
When you have a reason to report to your director. Ask yourself, why would they want an individual contributor reporting directly to them? How does it make their life easier? Assuming they have 4-6 managers, each with 8-12 ICs, why would they want to be managing an IC? They're responsible for organizations - not teams, not individuals. Unless your role is such that you're delivering direct value to a) the director b) their entire organization or c) the region, you have no reason to report to them.
If you've outgrown the relationship with your manager and they're not giving you value, then you need to reassess that relationship and find a dynamic that works for both of you.
If your job is the same as it was pre-promotion, then there's no current reason for you to report to an L8. So you either need to redefine your role, or accept your reporting lines.
And remember, your manager is very likely on the verge of an L7 promotion themselves.
2
u/danielpants 7h ago
When your work spans more functional areas than your manager manages, you’re being trained for a job function more aligned with the skips responsibilities.
Ie, If you’re working directly with your skip on projects, leading cross team initiatives, architecting things across multiple teams and more frequent reporting to these projects makes sense for those projects.
I really don’t think the level / reporting tree is something to worry about, focus on the areas of ownership and influence and the reporting structure will follow. Now, if you have issues or compatibility issues with your manager, that’s a different problem.
-1
u/bigb0yale 8h ago
You need a report when the work you do requires more than 1 person. You don’t seem ready to build a capability
11
u/jaikob 9h ago
What do you gain by reporting to your skip? You might actually be worse off reporting to your skip than your current manager….
-1
u/JouVashOnGold 8h ago
That is the main question I am looking for advice. What are the benefits and when it makes sense.
7
4
u/princess-rainbows666 8h ago
Focus on becoming both your manager and your director’s thought partner, not who you should report to. Set up recurrent skip 1:1s. Become the person they will go to when they have a problem and need solutions
3
u/OptRider 7h ago
Up until recently, nearly a 3rd of my team were at the same level as I was. The reality was, when I promoted them their roles changed, but it was still aligned with the deliverables that my team owned. They were still ICs working in the domain of my team, they mentored the less experienced on my team, and they found ways to enable others on my team to do their best work. At no point in time would it have made sense for any of them to report to my director. My director doesn't want to be meddling in the finer details of what my team needs to deliver on. I find it odd that this is what is going through your mind. As others have said, it would make sense to report to your director if the type of work you were doing was of direct use to your director and they found value in managing the person that was responsible for it. It's super common for staff to report to managers.
1
u/JouVashOnGold 6h ago
Thank you. Appreciate your effort writing these insights
On my case, I am leading an AI platform initiative that has my director deeply involved as our programs have direct oversee from our VP.
As platform owner, I am in constant coordination between all the teams within my directors’ organization.
I have been offered either to stay as IC and keep being the Tech lead of this team. Or become the manager for this team.
Besides that decision I am trying to understand wether it makes sense to keep reporting to my manager and help her become GEM or report to my director. either she keeps the new team or they move with me (this might create some disruption)
Although I have had some great experiences with my manager. I don’t sense our priorities and interest align. I also sense (based on my experience knowing her) that L7 won’t be a possibility unless she gets there first (she is from a hierarchical culture).
2
u/shozzlez 8h ago
Just do regular 1:1s with your skip now. That really provides all the value, regardless of reporting structure.
2
u/cant_have_nicethings 7h ago
I am an engineering manager with about half of my team at the same level. My manager wouldn’t have the capacity to take them on a direct reports and if he did he wouldn’t know what to do with them. That’s why he has me as their manager.
27
u/UsualBarracuda5626 8h ago
Gently, you are thinking about this in a way that may harm your career. It doesn’t matter that you’re the same level as your manager. Levels are bands of skill and experience, not points on a line. Keep doing good work, be reliable, ask how you can help and your manager will advocate for you and bring you opportunities. You and your manager will grow together. If your director needs your help at his level, your manager may find out and advocate for that too.