A manager is measured by output—hitting deliverables, unblocking teams, and keeping projects on track.
A director is measured by impact.
This shift in mindset and skillset is what makes the difference between being seen as “doing a great job” as an EM and being seen as Director-ready by the executive team.
So, where do you focus first?
𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗽 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝗮 𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗿 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝗮𝗻 𝗲𝘅𝗲𝗰𝘂𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲.
3 Shifts Engineering Managers Must Make to Reach Director
#1 – Think & Speak in Executive Language
Directors don’t just talk about engineering—they talk about business outcomes. To reach the next level, start framing your work in terms of value and impact, not just technical deliverables.
If you’re still talking about sprints, velocity, and feature completion, you’re not in the right conversations. Instead, translate your projects into the language of profit, risk reduction, efficiency gains, customer retention, and market advantage.
This means understanding how your engineering efforts drive real value for customers and the business – whether it’s increasing revenue, cutting costs, or opening new market opportunities. Great leaders even cut through the buzzwords: they distinguish which tech trends will truly impact the business’s strategy versus which are just hype or incremental improvements.
So shift your narrative from “we built a cool feature” to “we enabled a 5% increase in customer retention” or “we saved 10% in operational costs.” The more you can connect engineering initiatives to strategic outcomes, the more you’ll sound like a true executive.
Ask yourself: Can I clearly articulate how our engineering work drives revenue, growth, and company strategy in terms the CEO or CFO would appreciate?
#2 – Operate at a Higher Altitude
As a manager you excel at execution; as a director, you need to excel at strategy and vision.
You can’t afford to be stuck in the weeds of the daily stand-ups and code reviews. Your executive team needs to see you shaping the organization’s future, not just running a team’s day-to-day.
This means zooming out to a higher altitude – focusing on long-term objectives, scalability, and the big-picture opportunities for your function.
Develop the judgment and intuition to anticipate industry shifts and internal needs beyond the next sprint. Make time for strategic thinking and even passive reflection to gain insight, rather than being consumed entirely by immediate fires.
Shift your mindset from “How is my team performing this week?” to “How is my entire function positioning the company for success this year and the next?” Directors also invest in building a diverse network of mentors and peers to broaden their perspective, because higher-level leadership is about making well-rounded decisions.
Show that you can connect the dots between technology trends and business strategy, and that you’re planning quarters or years ahead, not just days. By operating at this higher altitude, you demonstrate that you’re already acting at a Director-level mindset.
Ask yourself: Am I actively shaping vision and strategy for my area, or am I just optimizing execution and micromanaging tasks?
#3 – Build Influence Beyond Your Team
Directors don’t just manage their own team—they lead across the organization. If you’re only seen as “the engineering guy/gal,” you’ll be overlooked for broader leadership roles.
To break out of that silo, start collaborating and building relationships with product, marketing, sales, finance, operations – every key function. This is about alignment and influence: you should understand what other departments care about and speak their language too.
Proactively engage cross-functional peers to find common goals and mutual support. In practice, that could mean joining cross-department planning meetings, inviting other leaders to your team’s demos, and making your team’s work visible to the broader org.
By doing so, you position yourself as an organizational leader who connects dots between teams. Remember, as companies grow, collaboration doesn’t happen by accident – you have to intentionally create it. Also, sharpen those interpersonal skills: at the director level you must influence without authority, handle difficult conversations, and unify diverse stakeholders around a vision.
Focus on building a culture of collaboration and high performance that extends beyond your team’s boundaries. When people outside of engineering see you as a trusted partner and strategic problem-solver (not just a tech specialist), you’ll have the influence needed to drive big initiatives. This is what demonstrates to senior leadership that you’re ready to lead at the next level.
Ask yourself: Who outside of engineering already sees me as a trusted, strategic leader? If that list is small, how will I intentionally grow it?
Ready to level-up faster? Shoot me a quick DM with “DIRECTOR” and let’s map out your next move together.
What’s the biggest challenge you’re facing in making this leap? Drop it in the comments! 👇
