A year of scaling myself

2024 was eventful, but professionally quiet. I didn’t speak at major tech conferences, write as many blog posts, or spend as much time on technical deep dives. Still, it was one of the most important years in my almost 12-year career. It was just a bit different.

2024 was a year of scaling myself. Instead of working more, I’ve been exploring ways of making an impact differently. I encouraged people to act, sponsored others’ ideas, and even tried a bit of coaching. Working this way was rather new to me. While I’ve been learning from my mistakes, I’m pretty satisfied with the results.

In this post, I’d like to share with you my first attempt at making a bigger impact without working more.

Why scaling myself?

Being a Staff+ engineer can be challenging. You’re exposed to a vast array of topics that can be overwhelming. There are always new ideas to explore and initiatives to drive, but with only 8 hours in a day, you must prioritize effectively.

The impact one can make with their own hands is always limited. That’s one of many reasons why we work in teams. Why not adopt a similar approach to our own capabilities?

Surprisingly, others may benefit more from doing the work than you. There could be someone seeking a “staff project” that could advance their career. There could be someone bored with their daily duties who would gain motivation by taking on something new. Finally, doing something we are familiar with doesn’t help us grow. There are many reasons why sharing the work may be a good idea. We just have to keep our eyes open.

Succeeding when others do

Individual Contributors (ICs) are primarily evaluated based on their single-handed accomplishments. In contrast, Staff+ engineers are expected to also impact people around them. Leading bigger initiatives can be a way of doing so, but it may not always give others enough growth opportunities.

It’s a misconception that ICs can’t make a more substantial impact within an organisation. Staff+ engineers don’t have an exclusive monopoly on ideas and innovations. However, it’s true that Staff+ engineers often have greater autonomy in deciding what to do next.

Last year, I tried to leverage this advantage by sponsoring others’ ideas. I helped with prioritisation, clarifying scope, and negotiating implementation time. A few of such initiatives made it through the finish line. My own success became synonymous with the success of others.

The challenging part is finding ideas to sponsor. Sometimes, it’s enough to have a casual coffee chat about a topic discussed during a meeting. Other times, an idea arises from a recurring complaint about a particular issue. Finally, people may also bring their ideas to you if they believe you can help make them happen and trust you.

Sell me this pen

I’ve always had a growing backlog of things that I’d like to try when I finally have the time. Instead of letting it become a “list of shame”, I’ve decided to “sell” some of these ideas to others, starting with those that don’t require me specifically or can help others grow.

Selling an idea is different from ordering someone to do something. It requires showing someone the importance of a problem and leaving them with it. In fact, it shouldn’t include an explicit ask at all! The goal is to empower others to take ownership, so the problem becomes theirs, along with the solution. My role is mostly limited to initiating that, but I can also act as a consultant during the execution phase.

Selling an idea usually takes less time than executing it. It not only reduces the size of my backlog, but also can contribute to the growth of others. To me, that sounds like a win-win situation.

The power of one-on-ones

One-on-ones can be pretty polarising. Some people consider them a waste of time, while others love them. I think I’m closer to the second group these days.

I’m fortunate to work with a manager who knows how to use these meetings productively. Our sessions are far from status meetings. Instead, she keeps asking thought-provoking questions, pushing me outside of my comfort zone. This approach helped me tremendously when I had to leave the team I was leading for nearly 2 years, allowing both myself and the team to grow. As a result, I redefined my role in the organisation.

Today, I have regular one-on-ones with several engineers. Learning from my manager, I’m trying to use my experience for their personal growth. This includes a bit of mentoring and coaching, as well as discussing all kinds of topics that are important to them. Helping others become better engineers is another way of scaling myself. The time invested here should pay off with the impact on the organisation. It’s also a great way of building personal relationships.

New challenges

Ending the article here would make the false impression that everything worked as expected. In reality, it rarely does.

Succeeding when others do feels great, but also causes visibility issues. My work behind the scenes can go unnoticed, leading people to question my time management. Despite making a greater impact, this could be perceived as underperforming. I’m leaving the credit to those I influenced because they deserved it. The challenging part is to keep that kind of my work visible enough. I’m still figuring out the best way to achieve this.

Some would argue that one-on-ones and coaching is not what a Staff+ engineer should focus on. I think that’s the matter of perspective. Luckily for me, Staff+ roles are usually under defined in terms of responsibilities. There are at least several different Staff+ archetypes I heard about, which differ when it comes to the style of work. I believe the part of my job is to also define how I want to work, so I keep trying! However, it’s easy to fail someone’s expectations if our visions of the role are different.

Finally, mentoring and coaching others requires different skills and experience. Looking back in time I see my mistakes and things I would do differently now. While this is an inherent part of the learning process, in this case it also feels a bit like experimenting on others. That’s why it’s important to be careful and remember that I’m doing this primarily for them. I’m dedicating more time to learning about these aspects, ensuring that the time we invest together will be mutually beneficial.