Break Out of Your Silo: The Path to Staff Engineer
3 factors to gain visibility and advance in your technical career ladder
One of the first things you have to do on your path to the Staff Engineer role is to build strong cross-department relationships.
You cannot advance from Software Engineer to more impactful roles, such as Staff Engineer or Principal Engineer, if people don’t know who you are.
In today’s issue, I will explain 3 factors you can focus on to grow in the technical ladder related to being seen outside of your Engineering organization.
1. Start with Small Interactions
One simple way to start with this is by joining other chat channels outside of your team. An honest presentation opens many doors. Also, asking about what those teams are doing will demonstrate true interest and will give you a better reception.
Attending company meetings is another good way to start interacting with people in the organization. I encourage you to not focus only on the Engineering organization, but also on others, like Product, Support, Professional Services, etc.
👉🏼 One thing I do from time to time is join production incidents from other teams. Doing so, you not only get more experience in those ambiances but also provide support and care to other teammates. Just one rule to do this: Be supportive and help if you can; if you cannot, be quiet and give folks the space to work (they will appreciate it).
2. Collaborate on Cross-Team Projects
This is about being an active listener. You have to know which projects and initiatives are happening across the organization.
If you see an opportunity, jump into it. Remember this 👇🏻
It’s Better to Ask For Forgiveness Than Permission
For example, you noticed that a Staff Engineer has been assigned a small project, with a wide impact, and not many risks. Do not hesitate to send her/him a message like:
Hey, I’ve noticed that you have been assigned to project “X” and it’s a field I’m trying to learn and improve. May I ask if I can help you on your duties?
With a sentence like that you are demonstrating your willingness to learn, work, and collaborate with someone outside of your comfort zone.
👉🏼 The outcome of this action is that you will help other departments achieve their goals and you will be seen outside of your organization.
3. Learn Key Business Metrics
You have to understand how the business works so you gain clarity on how your contributions align with and influence the company’s larger goals.
The more clarity you get, the more you can focus your efforts on having an impact outside of your group or organization.
For example, maybe your team implements integrations with other APIs and puts the data in a database. That’s it? most likely not. That data could be used by the Professional Services team or Business Intelligence team to provide highly valuable reports to your CEO.
👉🏼 Knowing the reach range of your work will help you to open your mind and find new ways to have an impact outside of your team.
✨ Takeaways
This newsletter issue focuses on a real-life case with actionable steps that have proven effective for many others before you. These insights come directly from my own experience.
Let’s wrap up for today with some takeaways for building relationships outside your team:
Begin with Simple Connections: Engage in Slack discussions, participate in all-hands meetings, or schedule casual conversations.
Partner on Cross-Functional Initiatives: Actively look for ways to assist other teams in reaching their objectives.
Familiarize Yourself with Business KPIs: Recognize how your efforts contribute to the company’s overarching success.
👉🏼 Strengthening cross-department connections makes you visible and builds trust with decision-makers.
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You rock! 🖖🏼
𝘐𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘦𝘯𝘫𝘰𝘺𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘵, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘤𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘬 𝘵𝘩𝘦 💜. 𝘐𝘵 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘱𝘴!
𝘐𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘦𝘭𝘴𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘧𝘪𝘵 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴, ♻️ 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘵.
I'd also add:
> Become more familiar with the business context. For Senior+ engineers, I think that it's vital not only to solve coding problems but also to solve some critical business/domain-wise ones.
I like this quote: It’s Better to Ask For Forgiveness Than Permission
Another way to put it: Tell, don't ask!