Amritansh Raghav on the Importance of Hands-On Leadership in Tech

By Tejas Maheta

Tech pro Amritansh Raghav distills decades of managerial experience into a three-tiered approach to leadership in the tech space.

Hands up, who thinks hands-on leadership is vital in the tech space? According to Amritansh Raghav, a technology executive and engineer with over two decades of experience working at tech giants like Google and Microsoft, a critical and often overlooked aspect of leadership is having managers who stay involved.

There are innumerable books, essays, speeches, and other forms of communication meant to articulate best practices in “leadership.” There are so many because it’s hard to get right. So many factors play into the equation — such as company culture, personnel, job type, and expectations — that there is no definitive “right” approach.

Raghav believes, based on his own storied career, in the importance of hands-on leadership in tech, particularly for engineering managers and how it fosters a culture of growth and success.

But that doesn’t mean all leadership approaches are created equally. Some are designed to foster autonomy and growth; others, to mentor and guide.

Laissez-faire leadership, a shorthand for a more distanced approach to leading, has advantages, for example. The lack of consistent contact or direction can encourage personal growth in the employee while allowing said employee to be “hands-on.” Proponents argue that it facilitates growth and development and fosters accountability.

Those things may all be true. But in Raghav’s world, he believes that the advantages of a high-touch manager far outweigh the alternatives. In an interview, Raghav outlines a proposed three-tiered framework for engineering management, highlighting the distinct roles and responsibilities at each level as well as how each of those levels required a distinct hands-on approach.

In the Beginning

Raghav emphasizes that front-line managers should function as “talent factories,” nurturing and developing the skills of early-career engineers.

“You should be an amazing engineering factory,” says Amritansh Raghav. “Of course, you have to ship products, of course, you have to meet the road map. But to me, that is almost a byproduct. What you’re teaching people is this is what it takes to be a great engineer and great engineers produce code, right? Great engineers are not researchers, they’re not artists that are dreaming.”

This requires engineers to stay current with the latest technologies and practices. By dedicating a significant portion of their time (ideally 30% or more) to individual contributor work, they can maintain a deep understanding of the craft and effectively mentor their teams. Raghav says this hands-on approach fosters trust and respect, as engineers see their managers actively engaged in the day-to-day challenges.

“I think your job [as a front-line engineer] is actually to take this raw material and talent that comes your way, which are people that are often very early in their careers, and produce great engineers,” Amritansh Raghav says. “I look at first-line managers as a talent factory; you should be an amazing engineering factory.”

Amritansh Raghav’s Middle Ground

As managers progress to the middle tier, their focus shifts to connecting business and product strategy with technical execution, Raghav notes. They bridge the gap between the technical realm and the broader business goals. Here, understanding product road maps, customer feedback, and resource allocation becomes crucial.

And, Amritansh Raghav points out, it’s essential to make sure that the engineers one is working with also understand these elements. As the core of engineering meets with business needs, Raghav says being hands-on with the team so they can understand the potential competing interests will allow for more attuned communication and a better understanding of what the desired overall results will be.

This, he argues, engenders respect from the team, as they know not only that their work output is valuable, but that their understanding of the mission is as well.

“You have to position yourself as the person who people automatically look up to,” Raghav says. “The engineers want to come to the manager and ask, ‘Hey, how do I solve this problem?’”

This leads to a deeper element of the equation: People often respect those in positions of leadership or authority when they know that person has done their job, understands their job and its complications, and is willing to engage on a tactical level to assist.

“Successful hands-on managers like to review the designs by their engineers and make time for doing that,” Amritansh Raghav says. “Some might say, ‘This is not my job.’ But the managers have to find the time and space to show that they have the skills.”

He adds that the managers don’t have to be perfect in their work in that regard. No one expects the manager to do the work of a highly trained engineer who was hired to do a specific job. But the effort, time, and commitment it shows when managers do make the effort is invaluable.

High End

At the top level, leaders become responsible for establishing processes and systems, Raghav says. They oversee areas like recruiting, performance management, and goal setting. While strategic thinking is vital at this level, he argues that a strong foundation in hands-on experience is equally important.

And that becomes more difficult as leaders ascend through organizations. The higher up one goes, typically, the more fully that person is divorced from the tactical day-to-day operations. Only so much mind space exists; executing on strategy takes the front seat on the higher levels.

Benefits of Hands-On Leadership

There are numerous advantages of hands-on leadership in tech, Amritansh Raghav says.

In talent development, by staying engaged in the technical aspects of the job, managers can provide more effective coaching and mentorship to junior engineers. They can identify areas for improvement, offer practical guidance, and help them navigate challenges, fostering a culture of continuous learning and growth within the team, Raghav notes.

When leaders have a firsthand understanding of the work their teams are doing, they can make more informed decisions about resource allocation, project timelines, and technical feasibility, Raghav says. Hands-on experience allows them to anticipate potential roadblocks and develop more effective solutions.

Finally, as touched on above, Amritansh Raghav argues that engineers appreciate leaders who understand the intricacies of their work. By demonstrating their technical expertise, managers gain the trust and respect of their teams.

Again, if there were a foolproof blueprint of how to lead effectively, everyone would use it. But there isn’t. Absent that, the next best thing for engineering managers might be to follow the lead of someone who has spent decades in management in the tech industry.