Cohort 6

Learn skills and competencies to grow beyond Senior Engineer and thrive in a lead role (Team Lead, Tech Lead (Staff), Engineering Manager).

Gregor Ojstersek

CTO and Author of Engineering Leadership newsletter (140k+ subscribers)

Senior Engineer to Lead: Grow and thrive in the role

Amazon

Google

Microsoft

Revolut

As engineers, we are used to having things in our control - the outcome of the task normally depends on our implementation. Growing from senior engineer to a lead role requires a mindset shift. You become a multiplier for the team and helping others around you becomes one of the main priorities. You are not judged by your individual contribution anymore. The overall success of the team and projects is what becomes important. We will define the difference between engineering lead roles (1st week): - Overview of career paths and different options available + what you can expect- My personal recommendation for which may be the right fit for you- Main differences between Tech Lead, Team Lead and Engineering Manager We will define the exact steps you need to take to grow toward a lead role (1st and 2nd week): - How to build credibility in the engineering industry- How to let your manager know about your goals and aspirations- How to keep a brag list of all the wins that you achieve- How to become the go-to person or considered an expert in a certain engineering domain- How to manage up as an engineer- How to become a team player and a great engineer to work with- How to become business and product-minded engineer- Real world examples on how Gregor and others have grew from engineers to lead roles We will define the details to help you thrive in a lead role (2nd week): - Mistakes that Gregor has made as a first time manager- How to manage your time- How to have great 1:1 meetings- How to give feedback- How to create a great engineering culture- How to do hiring- How to build engineering teams- How to make decisions and resolve conflicts between engineers 10 exercises that will help you to apply your learnings immediately:﻿- Build your pros and cons list to help you with path selection- Become a credible engineer- Tell your manager about your goals and aspirations- Note down all the wins that you have achieved- Become the go-to engineer- Prepare your list of questions to ask before making your next technical decision- Optimize and manage your time- Fill in the agenda for the next 1:1 meeting- Checklist for a great engineering team or organization- Create a job brief for your next hire Bonus: 1. You'll receive 24 guides, templates and infographics (worth 340$) to help you to grow past senior engineer and thrive in a lead role.- Engineering Career Path Guide- Behavioral Interview List of Questions- Notion Template: Technical Specification- Notion Template: Incident Retrospective- Notion Template: Job Brief- Notion Template: 1:1 Meeting- Notion Template: Checklist for Great Engineering Organization- Notion Template: Hiring Board- Notion Template: Technical Strategy- Notion Template: List of questions to ask before making a technical decision- Notion Template: List of Achievements- Notion Template: Become a go-to person- Notion Template: Tell your manager about your goals and aspirations- Notion Template: Career Growth Plan- Notion Template: Become a credible engineer- Notion Template: Engineering Guild Space- Notion Template: Buy vs Build- Notion Template: Be a proactive engineer- Notion Template: RACI Chart for a Tech Project- Notion Template: Decide Your Career Path- Infographic: How to Build Credibility in The Engineering Industry- Infographic: How to Propose an Impactful Improvement to the Codebase and Own the Implementation- Infographic: How to Build Good Relationships- Infographic: 8 Signs That You Have a Good Manager 2. You'll receive a yearly paid subscription to the Engineering Leadership newsletter (150+ articles) (worth 120$). 3. A LOT of other materials for self-study and to learn further! All of the actionable insights from this course are based from Gregor's experience growing from Senior Engineer to Lead roles (Team Lead to Engineering Manager to Head of Engineering to VP of Engineering to CTO) and through countless successful projects + his network of professionals across various of different fields and disciplines.

Grow past senior engineer and develop the mindset needed for the lead role!

Senior Software Engineers who wish to learn the competencies needed to grow and thrive in the Lead role (Tech Lead (Staff), Team Lead, EM).

Ambitious Software Engineers&nbsp;that want to level up and get to know all the skills needed in order to grow and thrive in a lead role.

Everyone in the engineering lead role who wishes to thrive in the role or help their reports with actionable steps towards a lead role.

Who is this course for

What you’ll get out of this course

You'll know what are the key differences between the Team Lead, Tech Lead (Staff), Engineering Manager. I will also share my&nbsp;personal&nbsp;recommendation which may be the right fit for you.

You'll know the exact differences between engineering lead roles

Whether that is the Tech Lead (Staff), Team Lead, Engineering Manager or Architect. You'll know which path is right for you.

You'll know the exact path you wish to take for your next step in your career

You'll get actionable steps for you to work on to grow toward the lead role. We will also go through real-world examples of how I and others have grown to a lead role.

You'll know the exact steps you need to take to grow toward the engineering lead role

You'll learn and understand how to adjust your mindset and focus on good communication and team alignment. I'll be sharing also the mistakes I made as a first-time manager.

You'll know the details to help you thrive in the engineering lead role

15 guides and templates to help you grow and thrive in the lead role. Free yearly access to the Engineering Leadership newsletter and a LOT of other resources for you to learn further.

You'll get 15 guides and templates, a free paid subscription, which will give you access to a LOT of resources for self-study

Provide a brief description for each module as a way to sell the value of what students will be learning throughout the course.

First Module

Second Module

Third Module

Course syllabus

Engineering Leader | Mindset and Wellbeing Coach

Senior Software Engineer @ Pinterest | Author of High Growth Engineer Newsletter

Software Craftsman | Author of Craft Better Software
 

Founder @ The Caring Techie | Engineering Leader | Former Tech Lead ex-Google, ex-Uber

Team Lead @ Olo | Author of Level Up Software Engineering

What people are saying

Meet your instructor

5:00pm - 6:30pm CET, 11.00am - 12.30pm EST, 8.00am - 9.30am PST

Tuesdays & Thursdays

September 2, 4, 9 and 11 2025

Optional Q&A

Course schedule

This course builds on live workshops and hands-on projects

Active hands-on learning

You’ll know exactly what is the next step for your career

Interactive and project-based

Join a community of like-minded people who want to learn and grow alongside you

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About this course

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