← Back to all episodes
Leadership & Management

Nov 3, 2025

The Hard Parts Of Engineering Management

Engineering management can look glamorous from the outside — but behind the scenes, it’s often a mix of tough calls, emotional juggling, and constant context switching. In this episode, we’re diving into the hard parts of being an engineering manager — from staying technical and handling conflict, to managing up, balancing expectations, and keeping your own sanity along the way.

Engineering management can look glamorous from the outside — but behind the scenes, it’s often a mix of tough calls, emotional juggling, and constant context switching. In this episode, we’re diving into the hard parts of being an engineering manager — from staying technical and handling conflict, to managing up, balancing expectations, and keeping your own sanity along the way.

Sponsors.

A huge thank you to our sponsors for supporting the Ladybug Podcast! Interested in becoming a Ladybug Podcast sponsor? Head over to our Sponsorship page for more details.

Show Notes.

  • 06:04: Feeling productive

  • 09:25: Staying technical

  • 10:21: Handling conflicts

  • 18:47: Balancing stakeholder expectations

  • 21:30: Career growth

  • 25:59: Isolation and pressure

Resources.

Transcript.

We provide transcripts for all of our episodes. You can find them here!

Subscribe to the Ladybug Podcast

Get new episodes delivered to your favorite podcast app