Building Strong Engineering Teams for Success

When I started my career as a junior C# developer, I believed success was about writing flawless code. Over the years, I realized true success isn’t just about great code—it’s about building high-performing teams. Today, as an Engineering Manager, my focus has shifted from "How can I solve this?" to "How can I empower my team to solve this?"

What makes a high-performing engineering team? It’s not just talent or technology—it’s leadership, trust, and vision. Over the years, I’ve learned that success isn’t about solving every problem myself; it’s about enabling my team to solve them.

Here’s how great leaders build strong teams that deliver impact.

Setting the Vision

A team without a clear vision is like a ship without a compass. Engineers need to understand what they are building, why it matters, and how their contributions impact the company’s growth.

Building Trust & Collaboration – Each Engineer in the team needs trust. Being an EM, I foster open communication, psychological safety, and a shared purpose.

Empowering Engineers

I believe in giving engineers the freedom to make decisions while providing the right level of guidance and support. Ownership builds confidence, and confidence builds leaders.

Real Example

A new engineer hesitated to deploy code, fearing something might go wrong. Instead of micromanaging, I reassured them: "If anything breaks, we can roll back—you're not alone." That simple assurance changed their mindset. The next time, he deployed independently, verified the fixes, and confidently informed stakeholders: "The release is done, and everything looked good!"

Leadership Takeaways

• Support builds confidence: A safe space encourages ownership.
• Trust empowers growth: Engineers become independent and proactive.
• Small encouragement creates big impact: A single reassurance today can shape a fearless leader tomorrow.
• True leadership is letting others shine: Success is measured by how well your team operates without constant guidance.
  

Driving Technical Excellence

High-performing teams don’t just deliver; they continuously improve. A leader’s role is to foster an environment of technical excellence and innovation.

How I Implement It.

• Code reviews & automation: I ensured high-quality development standards and a stringent code review process
• Innovation mindset: Encouraging teams to explore serverless architectures and AI-driven solutions.
• Continuous learning: Hosting weekly knowledge-sharing sessions on emerging technologies.
• Process optimization: Eliminating bottlenecks and automating repetitive tasks.

Example. One engineer spent most of their time handling production incidents. We built a Slack bot to automate user queries, freeing them for high-value engineering work.

Optimizing Processes

Process bottlenecks slow teams down. I focus on continuously reviewing and improving Agile workflows to ensure smooth execution.

Key Areas of Focus

• Automating manual, repetitive tasks to boost efficiency.
• Engaging team members in process improvement discussions.
• Streamlining CI/CD pipelines for faster deployments.

Example

We spent one engineer’s full bandwidth on handling the manual release process. Our goal was automated deployment. I worked with our build Engineers and set up the build pipelines to deploy code after every code check in.

Mentoring & Career Growth

Great leaders don’t just hire for skills; they hire for potential and create paths for growth.

My Approach

• Setting clear career growth frameworks and mentorship programs.
• Encouraging engineers to take ownership of learning new technologies.
• Providing structured feedback that accelerates professional growth.

Real Impact: An engineer started as an individual contributor but, with mentorship, took ownership of key initiatives and grew into a Tech Lead role.

Fostering a Strong Team Culture

I encourage respect, accountability, and adaptability for long-term success. I create a team culture where everyone feels highly valued and respected.

We take responsibility for our work and support each other’s growth, and deliver the product. The challenges are opportunities to learn, adapt, and improve together.

As a leader, I lead with trust and accountability to build long-term success.

Here are the top 10 attributes, which I refer to as “Core Leadership and Team Values”.

Empathy - Supporting team members’ challenges and perspectives

I understand and support team members’ challenges and perspectives.

Example: Supporting a Struggling Team Member– A developer was going through personal challenges and is unable to meet deadlines. Instead of pressuring him, I offered flexible working hours, redistribute some tasks and checked in regularly to see how they were doing.

I create a safe space where everyone feels valued and heard.

Example: Understanding a Junior Engineer’s Fear of Failure – A new engineer is nervous about pushing code to production. Instead of criticizing their hesitation, I shared my early career mistakes, guide them through the process, and assure them that failures are learning opportunities to grow.

I created Strong relationships that led to better collaboration and innovation.

Example: Recognizing Burnout in the Team – The team is working long hours to meet a tight deadline. Instead of pushing them harder, I acknowledged their effort, adjusted the timeline wherever I could, and encouraged them to take breaks to maintain a healthy work-life balance.

Collaboration - Working together Instead of in Silos

I ask the team to work together, not in silos.

Example: A back-end developer was stuck optimizing an API, but the front-end team was not aware of the challenge. Instead of letting them work in isolation, I brought both teams together for a discussion. The front-end engineers provide insights on how they consume the API, helping the back-end team optimize it effectively.

I encouraged shared ownership and knowledge exchange.

Example: During a sprint, I noticed that only one engineer was familiar with the CI/CD pipeline. To prevent a single point of failure, I asked them to document the process and conduct a knowledge-sharing session, ensuring the whole team can contribute and troubleshoot when needed.

For me, success is a collective effort, not an individual achievement.

Example: A critical project is delivered on time with great feedback from leadership. Instead of praising just the top performers, I recognized the entire team’s effort in stand-ups and emails, ensuring every contributor felt valued for their role.

If a team failed, I took all the blame and made my team feel safe always

Example: A production deployment causes an outage, and leadership asks for an explanation. Instead of blaming the developer who pushed the change, I took the responsibility as the manager, explaining how the team could improve deployment processes. This made the team feel safe and willing to take ownership in the future.

Open-Mindedness - Welcoming diverse ideas and continuous learning

I asked my team to be willing to listen to diverse ideas and viewpoints.

Example: In a brainstorming session for improving system performance, a junior engineer suggested using Redis caching, while a senior engineer prefers database indexing. Instead of dismissing the junior engineer’s idea, I encouraged an open discussion, leading to a hybrid solution that optimizes both caching and indexing for better performance.

I asked my team to do Innovation, which thrives when teams challenge assumptions.

Example: My team had always used REST APIs for communication, assuming it was the best approach. A developer suggests exploring GraphQL for better flexibility. Instead of rejecting the idea outright, I told them to build a small proof of concept, which proved to be more efficient, leading the team to adopt GraphQL for certain use cases

I asked my team to be flexible and embrace continuous learning.

Example: My organization decided to migrate from an on-premises infrastructure to the AWS cloud. Some engineers are hesitant because they are more comfortable with traditional servers. I encouraged them to take AWS training, provided hands-on learning opportunities, and assigned small cloud migration tasks, helping them adapt to new technologies confidently.

Respect - Treating every team member fairly and valuing contributions

I treat every team member with fairness and dignity.

Example: During a performance review cycle, you ensure that promotions and salary hikes are based on contributions, not favouritism. When two engineers—one outspoken and one reserved—deliver equal impact, I ensured both got equal recognition, fostering a fair work environment.

I value contributions regardless of role or experience.

Example: In a critical incident, a junior engineer suggests a quick rollback to fix a production issue while senior engineers are debating a more complex solution. Instead of dismissing the junior engineer’s input, I considered their idea, and it successfully resolved the issue, reinforcing that good ideas can come from anyone.

I am respectful to team culture, foster trust and engagement.

Example: I included members from different cultural backgrounds. Before scheduling daily stand-ups, I checked for time zone overlaps and personal commitments (e.g., religious observances) to ensure inclusivity. This makes team members feel respected and engaged in a collaborative environment.

Adaptability - Embracing change for growth

I made change is inevitable; embracing it leads to growth.

Example: I made changes to restructure the team into specialized sub-groups focusing on key priorities. This shift improves delivery speed and team morale.

I make myself ready to pivot strategies when needed.

Example: Adjusting Hiring Strategies During Economic Downturns –I sponsor training to the current team instead of hiring talent from outside; this gives opportunity for team to grow and learn.

Communication - Ensuring transparency and active listening

I set clear and transparent communication to prevent misunderstandings.

Example: I ensured clear communication about deadlines, expectations, and potential risks upfront, preventing last-minute confusion and missed deliverables. I asked my team on a new project that involves multiple teams (backend, frontend, QA). The leader defines each team's scope clearly, ensuring no duplication of efforts or gaps in responsibility.

I ask my team to be active listening is just as important as speaking up.

Example: I advised the team to have Open dialogue to build alignment and trust. After a challenging sprint, the team openly discusses what went wrong without fear of blame. This fosters a culture of improvement and trust.

Equal Training Opportunities for All Team Members

As a leader, I ensure equality in the team.

Example: I noticed that only a few employees are getting access to advanced technical training. I changed it to a structured learning plan where every team member gets equal access to courses, mentorship, and certifications.

Curiosity - Encouraging engineers to ask “why” and “what if.

I encourage the team to ask "why" and "what if" questions.

Example: Challenging Legacy Processes – My team was following the same manual deployment process for years. A curious team member asks, "Why do we still do it this way?" This leads to the discovery of automation tools that drastically reduce deployment time. I asked to do a POC, and he was overwhelmed to deploy the code using Azure pipelines using Azure devops.

I never stop learning and exploring new ideas.

Example: I ask my team to explore emerging technologies. When they learn about a new database optimization technique, they test it and significantly improve system performance.

Accountability - Owning tasks and commitments.

I ask team members to take ownership of tasks and commitments.

Example: Ownership in Incident Management – A critical system goes down, and instead of waiting for directives, I asked a team member takes charge, coordinates with relevant teams, and ensures a quick resolution while keeping stakeholders informed.

Holding Each Other to Deadlines

Example: I ensured the team understood the deadline and how they could accommodate to it. In a sprint review, if a task is incomplete, instead of blaming, I ask team members, "What can I do to help?" and Can I adjust workflows to ensure timely delivery next time.

Peer Code Reviews for Quality Assurance

Example: Developers regularly reviewed each other's code, providing constructive feedback and ensuring high standards, rather than relying solely on managers for oversight.

Example: As a leader, I clearly defined expectations, deadlines, and success criteria, ensuring that everyone understood their responsibilities and could be held accountable.

Courage - Taking risks, speaking up, and challenging the norm.

I encouraged team members to speak up, take risks, and challenge the situation.

Example: Proposing a New Tech Stack – A junior developer suggested replacing an outdated framework with a modern one. Instead of dismissing the idea, the team discussed and experimented, eventually leading to improved performance. I asked my team to validate the pros and cons of each Tech stack.

Example: During a strategy meeting, a team member disagrees with the proposed roadmap and presents data to support an alternative approach. The team re-evaluated and adopted a better plan.

Example: Empowering Engineers to Try New Approaches – A developer proposes a new caching mechanism to improve API performance. The team supports the idea, and after testing, it reduced response times by 40%. I helped them to achieve it with the help of an architect.

A strong engineering team isn’t just about processes—it’s about leadership, empowerment, and continuous growth.

What do you feel about team building? Please put your inputs in the comment.

Thank you for reading!