You used to love the hands-on engineering work - coding, designing systems, getting into the nitty-gritty technical details.
But as you moved up into management, you found yourself further removed from that day-to-day work you were so passionate about early on.
The further you get from doing what originally excited you about engineering, the more you might start questioning if the sacrifices to get to this management level were worth it. That's why the I believe it is crucial to find ways to stay connected to your roots.
Even though your management responsibilities don't allow much time for actual engineering anymore, you make an effort to get your hands dirty every once in a while.
You should look for opportunities, even outside your normal duties, to code, design, or really dig into the technical work that still gets your juices flowing.
Think back to what drew you to this career and company in the first place.
What engineering activities used to make you light up and feel that satisfying sense of accomplishment?
Are you still finding ways to tap into that, or have those rewarding moments been completely replaced by meetings and managerial tasks?
Don't lose touch with the foundations that made you successful. Recharge by revisiting those old passions that energized you as an engineer. It doesn't have to be much - even tiny doses here and there reconnect you to that core driving force. Because at the end of the day, that fire is what made you effective as a leader in the first place.