The EM Survival Guide
Learn to thrive, not just survive, as an engineering manager
Course start date: March 13, 2026
You have a manager, at least according to the org chart. But some days it feels like you're going it alone. You're buried in tactical work and not sure if you're asking the right questions. Maybe you end the day completely depleted, or with your mind racing and unable to switch off. You're trying to be the manager for your team that you never had — but how can you give to others what you've never gotten for yourself?
If this is you, you're not alone — and there are concrete skills you can learn to change this. You need to learn how to manage yourself effectively: your energy, your role, your boundaries. These skills let you manage your team more effectively, scale your impact over time, and be a human being outside of work (again).
Navigating new terrain is challenging when you don't have the right tools.
Illustrations by Joe Groove.
This course is for people navigating the IC-to-manager shift and for managers struggling with the higher expectations of the post-ZIRP era. It will help you figure out what it means to thrive, not just survive, as a leader.
Meet your course guides
The EM Survival Guide is led by Cate Huston and Jean Hsu, engineering leaders with deep experience coaching people through management transitions.
Cate Huston
Cate is the author of The Engineering Leader, fractional CTO at Twill, and engineering leadership coach. She was previously in leadership roles at DuckDuckGo and Automattic, and an advisor at Glowforge. She has been all over the world, but now lives in Ireland.
More about Cate at cate.blog→
Jean Hsu
Jean is a builder, writer, coach, and fractional engineering leader at early-stage startups. She was previously in leadership roles at Pulse, Medium, and Range, and also built out a leadership development company focused on engineers. She lives in Berkeley with her partner and three kids.
More about Jean at jeanhsu.com→One-time payment
$799
Early Bird Pricing - Save $100!
Regular price $899 starting February 28, 2026
Course starts: March 13, 2026
This course is for you if…
- ✦You're trying to be the manager for your team that you never had
- ✦You want to be a force multiplier, not middle management overhead
- ✦You've always been the “team player” but now you're wondering what you need
- ✦You're buried in tactical work and losing sight of the bigger picture
- ✦You're navigating the IC-to-manager transition and it's harder than you expected
- ✦You're a new manager feeling overwhelmed and not sure what “good” looks like
- ✦You're struggling with the higher expectations of the post-ZIRP era
What you'll walk away with
- ✓Sustainable Energy Management — the ability to manage your emotional and cognitive energy rather than just your time, distinguishing between the baseline load of the role and the optional load that leads to overwhelm
- ✓Effective Feedback — a reframe of feedback as a neutral tool for growth rather than a compliance process
- ✓Framework for Effective 1:1s — practical techniques for making your 1:1s valuable for both you and your reports, moving beyond status updates to real coaching conversations
- ✓Strategy That Works — the skill to develop tangible action plans that bridge the gap between your team's current reality and your goals
- ✓Adaptive Leadership Range — the self-awareness to identify your personal failure modes so you can consciously deploy different leadership styles to suit the situation
- ✓High-Impact Managing Up — practical techniques for securing resources and support by making specific, actionable requests for the unblockers only your manager can provide
How it works
8 weeks, 4 modules
Self-paced, asynchronous content delivered over 8 weeks
Audio content
Conversations and reflections from Cate and Jean
Reading material
Module content and frameworks to deepen your understanding
Exercises
Practical exercises and reflection prompts to apply what you learn
Submissions
Submit your work for feedback from Cate and Jean
Personal feedback from us
Cate and Jean review every submission and provide written feedback and coaching
We designed this course to be a mix of introspection, practical exercises that apply to your team and situation, and support — with just the right amount of accountability. Plan to spend 60-90 minutes per week engaging with the content and working through exercises at your own pace.
Each module includes exercises with a submission deadline. We personally review and provide feedback on all submissions by that date — giving you direct access to Cate and Jean as experienced engineering leaders and coaches.
Modules
Support Yourself to Support Your Team
Everyone tells you to “put your own life vest on first”—but how do you actually do that? Learn to distinguish time problems from energy problems, identify baseline vs optional load, and make deliberate tradeoffs so you can do the right things sustainably, not just more things.
Leverage Feedback
Reframe feedback from something threatening to something useful: your work, reflected back to you. Learn how to deliver feedback that leads to change, mine for implicit feedback as a manager, and make your 1:1s the foundation for development conversations.
Lead with Clear Direction
Learn how to provide direction for your team. Understand what good strategy looks like (hint: it's often simple and obvious), how to carve out thinking time, and how to close the gap between where your team is and where they need to be.
Expand Your Leadership Range
Move from surviving to thriving as a leader. Learn to recognize your default patterns and failure modes, understand which leadership styles work in different situations, and develop the range to lead from choice instead of reflex.
What people are saying
“As a new engineering manager, I struggled to find time for my own development. Jean helped me change that dynamic entirely. She gave me the tools to identify what matters most and helped me become deliberate about my growth.”
“Working with Cate has been the single best investment of my professional life: not only am I a more effective leader, I'm now firmly steering my own career.”
Frequently Asked Questions
How much time will this take each week?
Plan to spend 60-90 minutes per week engaging with the content and working through exercises at your own pace. The course is designed to fit into busy schedules while still creating meaningful space for reflection and action.
What if I fall behind?
While we have submission deadlines for exercises to create accountability, the content is entirely self-paced and asynchronous. We encourage you to stay on track, but if you need extra time, you'll still have access to all materials and can catch up.
Is this course only for new managers?
No. While the course is valuable for people in their first manager role, it's equally useful for experienced managers who feel stuck, overwhelmed, or are navigating a shift in expectations (like the post-ZIRP era). If you're questioning whether you're effective or wondering how to be a better manager, this course is for you.
What if I'm thinking about going back to being an IC?
This course can help you make that decision more intentionally. Understanding energy management, what drains you, and what effectiveness looks like as a manager will clarify whether management is wrong for you, or whether you just need better tools and boundaries. Regardless of what you decide, we hope this can help you make a more empowered decision about what you actually want.
Will this work for my specific organization/industry?
The frameworks are designed to work across different organizational contexts. We use examples from tech companies because that's our background, but the principles apply whether you're at a startup, a large enterprise, a nonprofit, or elsewhere. Energy management, feedback, strategy, and leadership range are universal management skills.
Is this course just for engineering managers?
We designed it with engineering managers in mind, and our examples will reference engineering teams. Staff+ engineers may also benefit from the leadership aspects and a broader understanding of what managers do, but it is not directly created for them.
What makes this different from management training at work?
Most company training focuses on processes and compliance. This course focuses on the human skills that make or break your effectiveness as a manager: managing your energy, giving and receiving feedback, thinking strategically, and expanding your leadership range. It's designed for the reality of management, not an idealized version.
I'm really struggling right now. Will this course help?
If you're burned out, overwhelmed, or questioning whether management is for you, this course can help you diagnose what's actually going wrong and give you concrete tools to improve your situation. Module 1 on energy management specifically addresses overwhelm, baseline vs optional load, and burnout. That said, if you're in crisis, you may also need additional support like coaching or therapy.
One-time payment
$799
Early Bird Pricing - Save $100!
Regular price $899 starting February 28, 2026
Course starts: March 13, 2026