The rise of AI-assisted development tools has supercharged engineering output. But it’s also introduced a new challenge for leaders: how do we coach and grow engineers when AI is writing more of the code?
As an engineering manager, I’ve seen AI improve productivity—but it’s also started to blur the lines between doing the work and understanding the work. That’s why coaching today is less about unblocking someone technically and more about guiding engineers to develop deep, transferable skills—despite automation.
Here’s how I think about coaching in this new era:
Focus on Thinking, Not Just Typing
AI tools can generate decent code. But they can’t reason about tradeoffs, design clean abstractions, or anticipate edge cases. That’s the gap to coach into.
✅ Encourage engineers to explain why they’re choosing a certain approach, not just what it does. The ability to architect well is more important than ever.
Make Code Review a Learning Moment Again
When AI helps write code, it’s easy to lose sight of foundational principles. Instead of just approving or nitpicking, code reviews should explore:
- What assumptions were made?
- What risks are introduced?
- Could this be handled more cleanly upstream?
✅ Turn reviews into conversations, not checklists. It’s about growing judgment.
Reinvest in Fundamentals
Paradoxically, the more AI you use, the more valuable strong fundamentals become. Why? Because AI outputs are only as good as the prompts and context you give them.
✅ Encourage learning that builds mental models: systems design, debugging skills, algorithms, and performance thinking.
Coach for Career Resilience, Not Just Promotion
In an AI-accelerated environment, roles and skills will shift faster than before. Your job as a leader is to help engineers:
- Stay adaptable
- Learn how to learn
- Build networks of support and mentorship
✅ Help your team build careers, not just levels.
Embrace the Human Skills
AI doesn’t lead teams. It doesn’t give feedback. It doesn’t mentor, collaborate, or inspire.
✅ Prioritize growth in communication, leadership, and influence. These are the skills that scale.
AI can take over repetitive tasks—but it can’t replace the messy, creative, human parts of engineering. That’s where our coaching efforts should live. The best leaders won’t just adapt to AI—they’ll use it to amplify the potential of their people.
Let’s coach for clarity, curiosity, and long-term growth. Are you rethinking how you support your engineers in light of AI tools? I’d love to hear how your coaching approach is evolving.
Disclaimer: This article was enhanced with the support of AI writing tools to help improve clarity, structure, and flow. All ideas and perspectives are my own.
Originally posted here on LinkedIn
