[mattbrewsbytes]

> Honestly, it's a completely different job as an Engineering Manager vs being an IC

This is the right perspective, in my opinion. The way I think of it is that its more like you are the coach/manager of a sports team and not a player. Sometimes the best players do not make good coaches and sometimes players that are mediocre/bad are really great coaches/managers. Its a different role. If you approach it with the mindset that your role as coach/manager is to help your team's outcomes be the highest they can be (which will differ based on the make-up of your team) then you (and your team and your company) will do well.

In business/management terms this is called servant leadership - serving others to help them grow and succeed. Traditional leadership is typically the accumulation and exercising of power to "move up" a hierarchy - much like in the animal world with wolves or lions, etc.