Leading with Vision and Impact
Staff engineering is not a role. The skills and behaviors we expect from role model engineers impact the code we write, the algorithms we deploy, and the decisions we make. In senior positions, you’re accountable to the business and organization first and yourself second. To support senior engineers, managers should provide non-blocking feedback. Staff-plus roles are leadership roles, and the support system that got you here will fade away in leadership roles. To remain effective within a Staff-plus role, you must learn the art of staying aligned with organizational authority. Staff Engineers are expected to define a technical direction for the team they are operating in.
Software engineers must take a moment to reflect and acknowledge their current goals and ambitions. To ensure they are doing their best, they must be specific in their definition of success. This will allow them to create a clear roadmap, focusing on the smaller steps leading them to actual achievement. Software engineers with a vision for their career, a development plan, and a healthy work-life balance are more successful. Staff Engineers manage many projects and must balance their personal and professional commitments. They take on tasks that help them grow their leadership skills and find meaning in their work.
Determining what work is in any role depends on the level of communication and commitment of the individual. Yet, Staff Engineers often follow a similar work pattern across organizations. If you need to track your projects as a Staff Engineer, it’s easy to catch yourself doing little to no high-impact work. In senior roles, you’re more likely to self-determine what you pay attention to with minimal or no management guidance.
You need to blend your vision with the visions of leadership and peers. Focus on what matters to make the most of your working hours, particularly as you get further along in your career and life’s commitments expand. Stay aligned with authority to remain an effective leader over time. As a senior leader, you must maintain a hold on your ego to avoid investing in meaningless work on a grand scale. Create space for others so that your team grows stronger than your contribution. Build a network of peers to vet difficult decisions and give honest feedback when your role’s authority starts to temper feedback.
