Expert Project Manager to Empowered People Leader: Meet Sr. Director of Engineering Reed Laverack

“You need to have that trust, and if you don't focus on the people through those one-on ones, those day-to-day interactions, they're not going to have trust in you.”

In this series of interviews with managers across Skillsoft, we aimed to uncover the power skills that play a pivotal role in managing technical teams. Throughout the series, you’ll hear from distinctive technical leaders across the Skillsoft team, ranging from curriculum developers to a director of software engineering, to shed light on the unique challenges technical managers face in people management roles.

Reed Laverack, Senior Director of Engineering for Skillsoft’s Codecademy, is more than just a project manager – he's a people manager. Our conversation with Reed brought to light the importance of managing down, delivering insight into how to effectively convey vision and direction to your team while letting them take ownership of their work.

Reed decided to pursue further education in physics and civil engineering after really taking to those technical subjects in high school. He graduated from Clarkson University in 2011 with a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering and pursued his graduate studies in civil engineering at Northwestern University. Reed accepted a Geotechnical Engineer role where he managed a variety of subcontractors and performed geotechnical calculations to ensure construction stability. He then grew into a variety of different risk and research related roles before moving into technology. In 2018, Reed accepted a role as a senior software engineer, leading a team of engineers in rewriting a legacy program into a cloud native application. 

During his time leading this project, Reed found himself drawn to the overall strategic direction of the business. He enjoyed leading the technical team and getting to apply the project management skills he’s honed during his previous roles.  

“I really liked looking at the big picture of it all. The best part of a project for me is planning it out, seeing what our end goal is, and figuring out how we get there. I was happy to get into the details – I'm an engineer at heart, and it's always fun to figure things out – but what I really loved was more of the bird's eye view of the project. I've also always liked working with people, so although I didn't have any experience with people management, and that was definitely an adjustment, I was excited to take that on.”

When his project came to an end and he reverted to being an individual contributor, Reed realized he missed the vision, mentorship, and strategic planning he experienced as the team lead. It was in 2021 that he accepted his first engineering manager role at Codecademy. 

Nearly three years and three promotions later, Reed now manages 40 engineers across six functional teams that handle the platform and enterprise portions of Skillsoft’s Codecademy.

As Reed adjusted to life as a manager – and especially as he moved up and became responsible for larger and larger teams – he looked to his first Skillsoft manager as a role model.

“One thing that Skillsoft and Codecademy, which was acquired by Skillsoft, do well is that the managers aren't just there for project management. Coming to Codecademy, my first manager here was very big in people management and taking care of engineers at an individual level. Early on, I saw how effective that style was. You need to have that trust, and if you don't focus on the people through those 1:1s and day-to-day interactions, they're not going to have trust in you in those moments where you say, ‘We don't know, but this is how we're trying to figure it out.’ People need to trust you enough to say, ‘I'll wait until you figure it out.’” 

When Reed first embarked on his new role, he encountered a significant learning curve as he familiarized himself with the myriad responsibilities it entailed. Eager to make an impact, he initially plunged headfirst into the work. However, he quickly realized that he had overlooked the importance of understanding how the team was already collaborating. To be truly effective in his leadership position and to cultivate trust among his team members, Reed recognized the need to take a step back and carefully observe.

Determined to gain a comprehensive understanding of the team's dynamics, Reed made a conscious decision to refrain from making any decisions for an entire month. During this period of attentive observation, he meticulously watched his team as they navigated their daily tasks and interactions. This deliberate pause allowed Reed to absorb invaluable insights into the team's strengths, workflows, and challenges.

“It was hard. It was really hard to step back and listen and let others take the lead on things, but at the end of that month, I knew exactly how the team felt. I understood how the company was interacting with the team, and I was much better equipped to be their voice. Being a manager means you’re responsible for people. The saying, ‘People don't leave companies, they leave bosses’ does ring true. That's definitely a scary thing day-to-day, and that’s why it’s important to listen.”

Throughout this experience, Reed honed several critical skills, including active listening, strategic thinking, and empathetic leadership. By immersing himself in the team's environment, he was able to identify opportunities for improvement and foster a more cohesive and collaborative atmosphere. Reed's commitment to understanding his team on a deeper level ultimately laid the foundation for a more unified and effective leadership approach.

With a growing team of 40 engineers, one thing Reed can’t be is a roadblock. Over his years in individual contributor and team lead roles, he’s learned what it means to make someone's job more difficult by not giving them the information they need. 

With a surplus of engineers and a deficit of managers, he believes managers can’t and shouldn’t make every decision. He supports passing down ownership of projects and making sure the engineers across his team have the space to develop their own leadership and project skills.

"As you grow in leadership, you start to see not just the whole picture of your team, but the whole picture of the company. It's really important for me to be able to understand what's going on at the company level and why we're not making certain things priorities, because I get asked that by my engineers and I need to have an answer for them. Because they don't see the full company vision like I do, I need to be able to bring them along on that decision journey so they can feel confident in where we're going.”

For him, this looks like planning quarterly meetings with his entire cohort to set the stage of what’s been planned out and what goals he wants the team to work toward. The greatest challenge, he says, is ensuring the team knows what’s happening at a company level so that they understand the "why" of timelines that have been set. 

Reed also recognizes that alongside managing down is making sure the team has enough time to develop their own skills, leadership, engineering or otherwise. He encourages his team to take ownership of their professional development and implores them to dedicate time in their daily routine to upskilling.

“I stress that it's not something I expect after hours, but being an engineer means you have to continually educate yourself. The industry is changing, and you have to put in time during the workday to upskill yourself and to keep up with the market.”

Reed's journey exemplifies the qualities of a strong leader who has truly mastered the art of managing down. His commitment to clear communication, trust-building, and continuous skill development has created a supportive and growth-oriented environment for his team.

By effectively delegating responsibilities while providing clear guidance, Reed has fostered a culture of empowerment and accountability. His ability to balance strategic vision with empathetic leadership not only enhances team performance, but also ensures his team is agile and ready to take on the technical challenges of tomorrow. 

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