Reflecting on my journey as an engineering manager, I explore three of my biggest mistakes: jumping in to help too quicklu, always trying to be fair to everyone, and neglecting my own development as a manager. Each misstep has taught me valuable lessons that have refined my approach to leadership and shaped how I support my team’s growth.
Jump to heading 1. Jumping in to help
Ah, a classic. This came up during management leadership training at Hargreaves Lansdown as something many in the group had experienced. Often, being a manager means you have a background in the role your team members are performing. Chances are, you’re skilled at it. When pressure mounts, it’s tempting to jump in and start contributing directly to meet a deadline or solve a complex problem. The rationale many of us shared was that we felt we could probably do it faster ourselves. For some, this approach allowed them to meet the deadline. For others, myself included, it seemed like the best way to support the team and reduce the immediate pressure, which is both a nice thing to do and demonstrates to your team you'll muck in when things get tough.
Reflecting on this approach, however, I realised it doesn’t help in the long term. Yes, you might fix the problem in the short term, but the real outcome is that you’ve taken away an opportunity for your team to work through the issue and learn from it, making it easier for them to solve similar problems in the future. I’m not saying you should leave your team to struggle when things get tough. I believe you should support them by encouraging collaboration, offering coaching, and finding ways to give your team the time and space to tackle challenges on their own. I've found at the point of stepping in to make a call its rare the team mind as the reconise the need to move forward.
Jump to heading 2. Always trying to be fair to everyone
I have a strong sense of fairness and believe it’s essential for everyone to feel they’ve been treated equally.
However, when managing a team, trying to be fair to everyone as individuals can sometimes lead to poor outcomes for the team as a whole. For example, when selecting a solution to a problem, I like to give all team members the chance to contribute. In the past, I’ve been too democratic, which means discussions can drag on without clear direction as the more vocal members of the team continue to share their views. The balance I’ve missed is that, in trying to give everyone an equal platform, we can end up spending too much time discussing ideas. What the team often needs is a decision, and when we can’t reach one, it’s the manager’s role to step in and make the call. Some members may not fully agree with the approach, but that’s better than a lack of clear direction.
Jump to heading 3. Not making time to work on myself as a manager
One of the most common topics I discuss in 1:1s is encouraging my team to protect their self-development time. It’s all too easy to prioritise tasks over personal growth, but I believe strongly in working with my team to ensure they have time for their own development.
However, I’ve rarely done this for myself. While I’m learning on the job, I’m missing the chance to identify areas for improvement and reflect on things I could have done better, which ultimately means I’m not progressing as quickly as I could.
Writing these blog posts is one way I’m carving out time to reflect. Over the past year, I’ve found a couple of mentors, both inside and outside HL, which has been invaluable. I’ve also started blocking out the last hour on Fridays to write a weekly post for my team and spend 15 minutes reflecting on my own week. This gives me space to review what went well and where I could improve.
Jump to heading Conclusion
If you have any comments/feedback/questions on this article please get in touch! I’d love to hear about your biggest mistakes as a manager. What challenges have you faced, and how have you learned from them?
