IC to EM playbook

I burned my first 60 days as an Engineering Manager writing code I shouldn't have touched. Nobody handed me a manual. I was expected to just "figure it out" because I was a good coder.

I built the playbook I wish I had.

The transition from Individual Contributor (IC) to Engineering Manager (EM) is not a promotion. It is a complete career change. It requires a different set of mental models, a different dopamine loop, and a radically different definition of success.

What you will get inside this playbook:

✅ The "Let Go of the Keyboard" Framework: Exact phases to detach from the codebase without causing chaos.

✅ The Pitch: How to convince your current manager you're ready, and how to act the part before you get the title.

✅ The Foundation 1:1 Master Agenda: Verbatim scripts and questions to ask in your first 1:1 to build unbreakable trust.

✅ The 5 Lethal Traps: Deep dives into the Hero Trap, the Therapist Trap, and the Clone Trap—and the exact strategies to escape them.

✅ The Week-by-Week Blueprint: A comprehensive, 12-week day-by-day guide for your first 90 days.

✅ Copy-Paste Templates: Includes my exact "Options Memo", "Weekly Ship", and "Manager Readme" templates so you don't have to start from scratch.

Stop trying to be a 10x coder. Learn how to be a 10x multiplier.