# Engineering Manager Training: Leadership for Engineering Managers and Tech Leads > Engineering manager training for tech leads and new EMs. Lead engineers, run 1:1s, balance delivery and tech debt, and grow teams. Talk to us today. - Source: https://bodhih.com/engineering-manager-leadership-training/ - Publisher: Bodhih Training (Bengaluru, India; since 2008) - Last updated: 2026-10-15 - Contact: solutions@bodhih.com · +91 99000 11601 --- Great engineers do not automatically become great engineering managers. This engineering manager training helps tech leads and new EMs lead people, balance delivery with technical health, measure what matters and grow engineers, in the realities of Indian product companies, GCCs and IT services. ## At a glance - **Duration:** Recommended: 2 days in person, or 5 × 2.5-hour live virtual sessions spread over five weeks - **Who it’s for:** Tech leads, new and experienced engineering managers, and engineering leads in GCCs - **Level:** Intermediate - **Format:** In person · Live virtual · Blended - **Track record:** Since 2008 · 2,000+ companies Engineering manager training is a leadership program for tech leads and engineering managers who lead software teams. It covers the shift from coding to leading, one-on-ones and career growth, delivery and technical debt trade-offs, DORA team metrics, hiring and incident culture. Bodhih runs it over 2 days in person or five 2.5-hour virtual sessions across five weeks. - Recommended: 2 days in person, or 5 × 2.5-hour live virtual sessions spread over five weeks - Level: Intermediate · In person · Live virtual · Blended - Designed with the ADDIE model and customised to your context - Offered by Bodhih since 2008 to 2,000+ organisations across 7 regions **Also known as:** engineering leadership training, tech lead training, leadership training for software engineers, engineering management course **Where and how:** engineering manager training as an in-person workshop in [Bengaluru](https://bodhih.com/corporate-training-in-bangalore/), [Mumbai](https://bodhih.com/corporate-training-in-mumbai/), [Delhi NCR](https://bodhih.com/corporate-training-in-new-delhi/), [Gurugram](https://bodhih.com/corporate-training-in-gurugram/), [Hyderabad](https://bodhih.com/corporate-training-in-hyderabad/), [Chennai](https://bodhih.com/corporate-training-in-chennai/), [Pune](https://bodhih.com/corporate-training-in-pune/), [Kolkata](https://bodhih.com/corporate-training-in-kolkata/), [Ahmedabad](https://bodhih.com/corporate-training-in-ahmedabad/) and [Jaipur](https://bodhih.com/corporate-training-in-jaipur/); as a live online course; or delivered overseas in [Dubai](https://bodhih.com/corporate-training-in-dubai/), [Singapore](https://bodhih.com/corporate-training-in-singapore/) and across the Middle East, Asia and Africa. Last reviewed 15 Oct 2026 by [Siddharthan VGJ](https://bodhih.com/siddharthan-vgj/), Founder · Bodhih Training, Bengaluru ## Why engineering managers need their own leadership program Engineering teams face distinct pressures: fast release cycles, on-call duties, legacy code, distributed teams and now AI coding assistants. Generic management training rarely speaks to these realities, so engineers tune out. Engineering manager training works best when it uses engineering language and examples. Leaders learn to apply systems thinking to people and teams, just as they already do to code and architecture. ## What participants will be able to do ### Choose their leadership path Understand the difference between tech lead, engineering manager and staff engineer roles, and what each demands. ### Run engineer-focused one-on-ones Hold regular one-on-ones that cover growth, blockers, workload and career goals for engineers. ### Balance speed and quality Make and explain trade-offs between feature delivery and technical debt with product partners. ### Measure team health wisely Use DORA and SPACE metrics to improve flow without turning metrics into targets. ### Grow and hire engineers Use career ladders, structured feedback and fair interview loops to develop and hire strong engineers. ### Build a learning culture Run blameless incident reviews and healthy code review practices that improve quality and trust. ## Who should attend - Tech leads taking on people responsibilities - Newly appointed engineering managers - Experienced EMs who never had formal [leadership training](https://bodhih.com/leadership-skills-training-in-india/) - Engineering leads in [GCCs](https://bodhih.com/gcc-leadership-development-program/) working with global product teams - Delivery and development managers in IT services - QA, [DevOps](https://bodhih.com/devops/), data and platform team leads ## Program outline Recommended design, customised to your context after a short needs analysis. ### **From engineer to engineering leader**Module 1 · 2 hours - Tech lead, engineering manager and staff engineer: roles and trade-offs - Letting go of the keyboard: how much should you still code? - Leading former peers and senior engineers - Designing your week: maker time versus manager time ### **One-on-ones, feedback and growth**Module 2 · 2 hours - One-on-one formats that engineers actually value - Using career ladders and competency matrices - Feedback on code, behaviour and collaboration - Handling underperformance and the brilliant but difficult engineer ### **Delivery, flow and technical health**Module 3 · 2 hours - Delivery metrics and a balanced view of developer productivity - Making technical debt visible to product and business stakeholders - Estimation, sprint commitments and saying no - Exercise: building a team health dashboard ### **Team design and collaboration**Module 4 · 2 hours - Team design: product-aligned, platform and enabling teams - Working with product managers, designers and global stakeholders - Onsite-offshore and time-zone collaboration patterns - Leading teams that use AI coding assistants ### **Hiring, onboarding and team culture**Module 5 · 90 min - Structured interview loops and reducing bias - Onboarding engineers to productivity faster - Code review culture and [psychological safety](https://bodhih.com/psychological-safety-training/) - Blameless post-incident reviews ### **Leadership plan and peer coaching**Module 6 · 60 min - Personal 90-day engineering leadership plan - Peer coaching circle on real team challenges - Commitments reviewed with your own manager ## Sample training plan: 2-day hands-on design This two-day design speaks engineering. Tech leads and engineering managers treat their team as a system: inputs, feedback loops, bottlenecks and trade-offs. They redesign their week around maker and manager time, run one-on-ones engineers value, build a team health dashboard from their own delivery data, make technical debt visible to a product manager, and run a blameless incident review. The capstone is a quarter-planning negotiation with a product head over features versus debt. Every exercise uses the participant's own team. 78% hands-on practice · 13.5 contact hours · Cohort: 12–20 participants · In person · Live virtual ### Day 1: Leading the people who write the code Participants have a redesigned week, a one-on-one format their engineers will value and rehearsed feedback for a real engineer. 1. 09:30–10:00 · Git log of my career (Energiser) 2. 10:00–11:00 · Which path am I on? (Diagnostic) 3. 11:15–12:15 · One-on-ones engineers show up for (Demo & practice) 4. 12:15–13:00 · Feedback on code, not coders (Skill drill) 5. 13:45–14:45 · The brilliant, difficult engineer (Role-play) 6. 14:45–15:30 · Underperformance clinic (Case clinic) 7. 15:45–16:45 · Interview loops that are fair (Build sprint) 8. 16:45–17:30 · Retro on Day 1 (Reflection) ### Day 2: Flow, debt and culture Participants can read their team's health from data, negotiate technical debt with product partners and run a blameless review. 1. 09:30–10:00 · Standup, but honest (Energiser) 2. 10:00–11:00 · Team health dashboard (Hands-on lab) 3. 11:15–11:45 · Debt in money, not jargon (Concept burst) 4. 11:45–13:00 · Designing the team around the work (Group challenge) 5. 13:45–14:45 · The incident nobody wants to own (Simulation) 6. 14:45–15:30 · Code review norms (Gallery walk) 7. 15:45–16:45 · Quarter planning showdown (Real-play) 8. 16:45–17:30 · My 90-day engineering leadership plan (Action planning) Recommended: 2 days in person (09:30–17:30), or 5 × 2.5-hour live virtual sessions spread over five weeks so each practice is tried in a real sprint. A sample design: every Bodhih program is customised after a short needs analysis. ### How long is engineering manager training? The recommended design is two days in person, 09:30 to 17:30. It also runs as five live virtual sessions of 2.5 hours spread over five weeks, so managers can try each practice in a real sprint. A shorter track is available for tech leads without direct reports. ### What activities are included in engineering manager training? Engineering managers build a team health dashboard from their own delivery data, run one-on-ones linked to a career ladder, handle a brilliant but difficult engineer in a role-play, run a blameless review of a simulated outage and negotiate features versus technical debt with a product head. ## How we deliver it ### Engineering language Concepts are framed in terms engineers recognise, such as systems, feedback loops and trade-offs, which builds buy-in quickly. ### Real team cases Participants bring current challenges, such as a missed release or a struggling engineer, and work through them with peers. ### Spaced over sprints The virtual format runs weekly so leaders can try a practice during a sprint and share results in the next session. ### Peer coaching circles Small groups of EMs continue to meet after the program, creating a support network across teams. ## Tailored versions ### For GCC engineering teams Focus on leading India-based teams that own global products, influencing HQ engineering leaders and working across time zones. ### For IT services delivery Adapted for client-facing delivery, with emphasis on estimates, client escalations, utilisation and team development. ### Tech lead track A shorter version for tech leads without direct reports, focused on technical influence, mentoring and code review leadership. ## How we measure impact The ADDIE Evaluate stage is built in. Participants take a pre and post assessment of people-leadership competencies on AssessAll, and can gather a 360° pulse from their engineers. Managers of EMs hold 30, 60 and 90 day check-ins on the leadership plan. With client agreement, we also track team indicators such as engagement survey results, regretted attrition, onboarding time and DORA trends. AA Pair this program with [AssessAll](https://assessall.com), Bodhih’s AI assessment platform, for pre- and post-program skill measurement. ## Frequently asked questions ### What does an engineering manager do? An engineering manager leads a team of engineers, focusing on people, delivery and team health. Responsibilities include hiring, one-on-ones, career development, [performance management](https://bodhih.com/performance-management-training/), removing blockers, working with product managers and ensuring the team delivers quality software sustainably. Technical judgement remains important, but the main output is a healthy, effective team. ### How do I transition from engineer to engineering manager? Start by taking on leadership tasks such as mentoring, running meetings or leading a small project. Talk openly with your manager about the move. Once in the role, accept that your value shifts from code to people and outcomes. Structured engineering manager training shortens the learning curve and helps you avoid common early mistakes. ### What is the difference between a tech lead and an engineering manager? A tech lead focuses on technical direction, architecture, code quality and mentoring, usually without formal people management. An engineering manager is responsible for people, including hiring, growth and performance, as well as delivery. In some companies one person does both, which is why clarity about expectations matters. ### How do engineering managers measure team performance? Many teams use delivery metrics, such as deployment frequency, lead time for changes, change failure rate and time to restore service, alongside broader measures of satisfaction, collaboration and efficiency. Metrics should guide improvement conversations, not rank individuals. The program shows how to build a balanced team health view. ### Should engineering managers still code? It depends on team size and company expectations. Many [new managers](https://bodhih.com/first-time-manager-training/) keep some hands-on work, such as code reviews or small tasks, to stay close to the technology. However, owning critical-path features can block the team when management work takes priority. The program helps managers find the right balance for their context. ### Is this program suitable for managers in IT services companies? Yes. We adapt the content for IT services, where managers balance client expectations, utilisation and delivery commitments with team growth. Cases cover client escalations, estimates and developing engineers across multiple projects, alongside the core leadership skills. The design is finalised after a short needs analysis with your delivery leadership. ### How does AI change the engineering manager's role? AI coding assistants change how engineers work, how quickly code is produced and what skills matter most. Engineering managers need to set norms for [responsible AI](https://bodhih.com/responsible-ai-training/) use, adjust code review and quality practices, and help engineers grow skills that AI does not replace, such as design judgement and problem framing.