Nice concise post. I'm curious about this part: "A TLM is an EM with a small number of reports (usually <6 reports). They are evaluated primarily as ICs. You can think of their responsibilities roughly split as 70% IC and 30% EM.". Were the numbers based on some data? I've known some people in TLM roles with 1 or 2 reports, but at 5 reports aren't they mostly a manager? In what companies can someone have 5 reports and that only take up 30% of their time, and what is the quality of management at such companies?
> I've known some people in TLM roles with 1 or 2 reports, but at 5 reports aren't they mostly a manager
In reality, it depends; % of time in IC vs EM duties varies based on the number of reports. 70% vs 30% isn't a set rule but a rule of thumb in the average case.
Nice concise post. I'm curious about this part: "A TLM is an EM with a small number of reports (usually <6 reports). They are evaluated primarily as ICs. You can think of their responsibilities roughly split as 70% IC and 30% EM.". Were the numbers based on some data? I've known some people in TLM roles with 1 or 2 reports, but at 5 reports aren't they mostly a manager? In what companies can someone have 5 reports and that only take up 30% of their time, and what is the quality of management at such companies?
> I've known some people in TLM roles with 1 or 2 reports, but at 5 reports aren't they mostly a manager
In reality, it depends; % of time in IC vs EM duties varies based on the number of reports. 70% vs 30% isn't a set rule but a rule of thumb in the average case.
Yeah, I expect 70-30 makes a lot of sense in the case of 1-2 direct reports, but less sense at 5 reports.