My head of engineering is a brilliant developer but is completely failing to scale as a department leader because they refuse to coach their team, insisting it is faster to do the work themselves. How do we address this leadership ceiling before the department falls apart?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

This is a classic GWC™ issue. Your head of engineering has the capability to write great code, but they do not get, want, or have the capacity to manage a department. When a leader insists on doing the work themselves because it is faster, they are operating as a super-technician, not an executive. They are keeping your business trapped in a reactive loop.

To resolve this, you must have a direct conversation grounded in the Accountability Chart. Review the roles of their seat. A leadership seat requires leading, managing, and creating accountability. If they are spending eighty percent of their time coding and zero percent coaching, they are not fulfilling their seat.

Explain that their job is no longer to write code, but to build a team that writes code. Frame this as a Grow or Die moment. If they want to stay in the leadership seat, they must commit to delegating and elevating. They must set weekly Rocks that focus on training and process documentation, not just technical execution.

If they admit they have no interest in coaching or managing people, do the right thing for both them and the company. Do not keep them in a seat they do not GWC™. Instead, redesign your Accountability Chart to create an individual contributor track for your top technical talent, and hire a true leader to run the department. This keeps your brilliant developer engaged while freeing the department to scale.