Every few weeks, I come across another post predicting how AI will redefine engineering management.

Some argue managers need to become AI experts. Others believe they'll spend less time with people and more time orchestrating agents.

I think AI has changed a lot about how we work. But it hasn't changed how I lead.

If I had to summarize my management philosophy today, it would be three words:

• Delegate.
• Dive In.
• Deliver.

Interestingly, that's not the order I learned them.

When I started my career, there was no delegation. There was only Dive In. Over time, I learned Delegate. And only after leading teams did I realize the importance of Deliver.

Dive In

I started my career as an engineer, so diving in has always been my instinct.

When there's a difficult bug, a problem or a production incident, my natural reaction is to get my hands dirty.

I enjoy solving problems.

Even today, I still write code, build prototypes and pair with engineers. Staying technically involved helps me understand the trade-offs the team is making and keeps me grounded in the realities of software development.

AI hasn't changed that. I still believe there's value in staying close enough to the code to understand the problems my team is solving.

Delegate

The biggest lesson I had to learn as a manager was that not every problem should be mine to solve. Delegation isn't stepping away from engineering.

It's creating opportunities for others to grow while keeping ownership clear.

Sometimes the highest-leverage thing I can do is dive in.

Other times, it's trusting an engineer to own the solution while I provide context, coaching, and support when needed. Most of the time, they don't need me to jump in and that's exactly how it should be.

Good engineering management is knowing the difference.

Deliver

None of it matters if the work doesn't reach the finish line.

Delivering means more than shipping code. It's making decisions when discussions stall. It's following up on loose ends. It's resolving dependencies. It's closing the loop until everyone is clear on what's happening next.

Whether the work was done by an engineer, an AI agent, or me is secondary.

What matters is that the team delivers value.

New Tools. Same Principles.

AI has undoubtedly changed how I work.

It helps me prototype faster, learn faster and explore ideas with far less friction than ever before. But those are changes in execution, not in philosophy.

The longer I lead, the more I realize that engineering management isn't defined by the tools we use. It's defined by the decisions we make, the people we empower and the outcomes we deliver.

I'm still learning from other engineering leaders, from my teams and from my own mistakes. I'm sure my philosophy will continue to evolve.

But after years of writing software and leading engineers, these three ideas are the ones I keep coming back to.

• Delegate.
• Dive In.
• Deliver.

AI has changed many things but this isn't one of them.