What was the problem?

I went for a long leave, while doing a proper handover to the Android Staff Engineer to cover for Chapter leadership. When I came back I noticed the Chapter lacked structured leadership and strategic direction, with the Staff Engineer having technical expertise but limited experience in Chapter management, mentoring, and cross-team alignment needed to scale mobile development practices across the organization.

What did I do?

I took on the Android Chapter Sponsor role to elevate the Staff Engineer into the Chapter Lead position, providing mentorship and strategic oversight while establishing a cadence of regular 1:1s to align on priorities, remove blockers, and support his growth in the leadership role.

How did I do it?

  1. I had a career conversation with the Staff Engineer about stepping into the Chapter Lead role with support.
  2. I established weekly 1:1s with the Chapter Lead to discuss chapter health, technical initiatives, and cross-team Android practices.
  3. I helped define the Android Chapter’s mission, charter, and key focus areas aligned with company product and engineering goals.
  4. I minimally coached the Chapter Lead on facilitation, mentoring, and decision-making for chapter-level concerns.
  5. I supported knowledge-sharing initiatives and helped escalate blockers that required sponsor-level intervention.
  6. I created visibility into Chapter progress through updates to Leadership, ensuring the chapter remained strategically relevant.

What did I achieve?

I successfully empowered the Staff Engineer to confidently lead the Android Chapter.