One of the toughest truths in engineering leadership is this: you cannot build a great career carrying underperformers on your back.
I was coaching Greg, a talented engineering manager, when this became painfully clear.
Greg was exhausted. Burned out. Why? He had stepped in on nights and weekends to rewrite code his team member botched. Again.
When I asked if that was the right call, Greg admitted it felt like a lose-lose. Miss the deadline and risk his reputation, or sacrifice his own balance to deliver.
But here’s the real problem: Greg wasn’t asking the most important management question of all.
Knowing what you know now… would you enthusiastically rehire that person?
This single question, borrowed from Vern Harnish, can transform how you lead.
Here are the insights every engineering leader needs to hear:
By the way, not everything I see in engineering leadership is “safe” for LinkedIn. That’s why I write NSFL rants and trench notes only for my inner circle. If you want the real stories and insights, subscribe here.
#1 – Stop Covering for Underperformance
When you jump in and do someone else’s job, you might save a deadline, but you’re setting yourself up for burnout.
Your A-players get resentful. Your B-players coast. And you become the bottleneck instead of the leader.
Deadlines come and go. Your reputation grows when you build teams who can deliver without you stepping in at midnight.
#2 – Coach Them Up (100/100 Responsibility)
If the answer to “rehire or not?” is shaky, your first path is coaching them up.
- Give crystal clarity on what “good” looks like in the role.
- Provide resources, training, mentorship.
- Hold them accountable.
And here’s the kicker: it’s 100% your job to provide the resources AND 100% their job to do the work.
Not 50/50. Not “I’ll try, you try.” It’s 100/100.
#3 – Or Coach Them Out
If you’ve provided clarity and resources, and they still don’t deliver, then you must coach them out.
That could mean:
- Finding them a different role in the company where they fit better.
- Or moving them out of the organization completely.
Keeping an underperformer doesn’t help them, doesn’t help you, and it doesn’t help your team.
It takes courage to have that conversation — but in the long run, everyone wins when you stop enabling mediocrity.
Let me leave you with this
Go through your team today. One by one.
Ask: “Knowing what I know now, would I enthusiastically rehire this person?”
If the answer is yes — amazing. Keep developing them and build your dream team.
If the answer is no — decide today: will you coach them up, or coach them out?
Don’t sit stuck for 18 months like Greg, burning out because you won’t have the hard conversation.
That’s not leadership.
👉 If you’re facing this exact challenge, you don’t have to figure it out alone.
I’ve helped engineering managers and directors navigate tough team decisions, protect their energy, and accelerate career growth.
Book a free career growth audit here.
We’ll unpack where you’re stuck, and map the next step — whether that’s coaching your team up, coaching them out, or building your own courage to lead.
No pressure. Just clarity.
What about you? Have you ever carried an underperformer longer than you should have?
