Understand Incentives Before Solving EM-PM Conflicts

Engineers deserve accountability, not coddling, to reach their full potential as leaders.

Will Larson believes we often treat engineers like children rather than giving them the responsibilities and ability to thrive as adults. This sheltering approach, while well-intentioned, actually limits engineers' growth and leadership potential. As he puts it, "We're coming back to this moment where we can actually treat engineers like our peers and put them into really senior leadership roles and not have this kind of baseline assumption of 'oh we have to coddle them or hide them from the real problems.'"

This perspective emerged from the industry's shift away from the zero-interest-rate era when retention was paramount. During that time, managers often avoided holding engineers accountable out of fear they might leave. The current environment allows for more honest relationships where engineers can be given hard problems and held to high standards.

The practical implication is that we can now put engineers in more senior roles because we can hold them accountable. This creates a virtuous cycle - engineers get the senior positions they've wanted, while organizations benefit from their technical expertise in leadership positions. Rather than protecting engineers from business realities, involving them in tough decisions and trade-offs helps them develop as professionals.

For engineering managers, this means having direct conversations about performance and expectations rather than sugar-coating feedback. For product managers, it means treating engineers as equal partners in solving business problems, not just implementers of solutions. And for engineers themselves, it means embracing accountability as the path to greater influence and leadership opportunities.

The key insight is that treating engineers as adults capable of handling difficult truths and responsibilities isn't just more respectful - it's how they'll grow into the leaders organizations need them to be.