Imagine if a pro athlete spent all year competing in games with almost no practice.
Sounds absurd, right?
Yet that’s exactly how many of us operate in our engineering careers.
We jump from project to project, meeting to meeting, performing constantly and rarely training or reflecting on our craft as leaders.
This imbalance between practice and performance is holding back our growth. It’s time to change that.
#1 – Fix the 95/5 Imbalance
Always Performing, Never Training?
The first step is recognizing the imbalance.
Many engineers and new managers simply don’t prioritize practice — and it shows. We assume technical excellence will magically translate into leadership excellence. But leading people is a completely different ballgame.
Just like a great athlete can’t rely on raw talent alone, a great engineering leader can’t rely only on coding skills or working harder.
Don’t wait for your company to schedule that one-off training day. Proactively carve out regular time for practice and learning. Block an hour each week for leadership development — and treat it like your most important meeting of the week.
These small training investments compound into real leadership growth.
#2 – Make Practice a Part of Your Job (Deliberate Practice)
Elite athletes don’t just show up and hope to get better — they follow a training plan.
You can do the same.
Instead of learning only through trial by fire, create low-stakes ways to practice your leadership skills. Break it down. Focus on one thing at a time.
Maybe you role-play a tough conversation. Maybe you lead a small initiative outside your comfort zone. The key is deliberate effort — not just doing the job, but actively training how you do it.
I tell my clients all the time: don’t mistake experience for growth. Improvement comes from practice, reflection, and intentional reps.
Pick one leadership skill to improve each quarter — then go work that muscle.
#3 – Seek Feedback and Coaching Like an Athlete
No world-class athlete trains alone. They have coaches. They review game film. They constantly refine.
Most engineers? They’re flying solo.
If you want to grow, feedback and coaching are your secret weapons.
Start asking for feedback more often — from peers, reports, managers. It might feel awkward at first, but this is the stuff that accelerates your growth.
And if you’re serious about leveling up — find a mentor or coach. Someone who can push your thinking, help you see your blind spots, and guide your development. The best performers in every field have someone in their corner. Why not you?
#4 – Prioritize Recovery and Reflection (Not Just Grinding)
This one gets overlooked constantly — but it’s critical.
Athletes don’t train nonstop. They recover. They rest. They plan to be at their best when it counts.
You can’t perform at your highest level if you’re running on empty. But most engineers are doing just that — grinding nonstop, always on, and never pausing to reset.
Recovery is part of the job. So is reflection.
Don’t just move from sprint to sprint without taking time to look back. Make space to ask: What did I learn? What worked? What would I do differently next time?
Reflection turns experience into insight. Recovery turns hustle into sustainability. You need both.
#5 – Embrace the Lifelong Learning Mindset
Great athletes never stop learning. They’re always refining, evolving, trying new techniques.
Same goes for great engineering leaders.
Stay curious. Stay coachable. Keep a learning list and chip away at it — one book, one podcast, one conversation at a time.
And don’t be afraid to look outside your lane. Some of the best leadership lessons I’ve learned came from outside the world of engineering.
Growth isn’t a one-time event. It’s a mindset. And it’s one of the clearest markers of high-performance leaders.
Let me leave you with this
You wouldn’t expect an athlete to become a champion without practice.
So don’t expect to become a top-tier engineering leader without training your skills — deliberately, consistently, and with purpose.
If you want to lead with confidence, influence without a title, and make the leap to senior roles — it starts by getting serious about your own development.
Pick one thing this week to start training.
Then build a rhythm around it.
Because when you train like an athlete, you lead like a champion.
If you’re ready to lead with clarity, confidence, and intention… join my weekly email newsletter. Every week, I share practical insights on leadership, career growth, and building the engineering career you actually want.
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Let’s get you back in training mode. Your next level won’t happen by accident.
Let’s go.
