The Journey to Staff+: Five Pillars to Grow as Staff+ Engineer
Staff+ Path… Staff What? In recent years, a novel concept of career growth has emerged — the Y Career ladder! In technology companies, grappling with the what, how, and why of adopting this concept poses a significant challenge.
Professionals in the tech sphere find themselves wrestling with the shift, given that, for years, the only apparent route for advancement was transitioning into a managerial role. It’s a dilemma many have faced — brilliant developers nudged into management roles to progress in their careers. Enter Staff+ the new possible journey to such situations.
This article unveils five pillars that can guide your career growth when opting for the Staff+ Path, allowing you to stay on the technology track.
Staff+ Engineer Path
Before we delve into the pillars, let’s demystify the role of a Staff+ Engineer. This position surged into the tech industry spotlight in 2021 with the release of the book “Staff Engineer: Leadership Beyond the Management Track” by Will Larson and Tanya Relly. Within its pages, a unique perspective unfolds on navigating the technical leadership path, addressing questions that often arise beyond a senior position. The narrative is enriched with stories from standout software developers in BigTechs, including Michelle Bu, Bert Fan, Nesol Elhage, and others.
The book introduces four main archetypes derived from extensive research into behavioral patterns within large companies:
Towards the end, the authors underscore the importance of aligning with the archetype that resonates with your profile — following what energizes you — and assessing its availability within your current company.
Yet, this self-discovery journey takes time to develop. It may take weeks, months, or even years, reflecting the inherent complexity of human desires and uncertainties about career aspirations. This path is relatively new for many companies, so a well-defined process is often lacking.
With this context in mind, I’ll share the five pillars I’ve cultivated in my own Staff+ Journey, offering insights into the nuances of this evolving career path.
Responsibility
In the realm of Staff+, the first pillar stands tall: Responsibility. It’s no revelation; responsibility is a linchpin in shaping careers across various domains and organizations.
For Staff+, however, it transcends being merely crucial — it stands as a foundational pillar. But why does responsibility hold such significance, and how does it illuminate our journey?
To cut to the chase: Leadership. Demonstrating a willingness to shoulder responsibility for your team or company isn’t just a checkbox — it’s a testament to robust leadership skills.
Leadership in the Staff+ role involves not just managing but inspiring. It’s about fostering a culture of continuous improvement, where challenges are seen as opportunities for growth, and each team member is motivated to reach their highest potential. This type of leadership isn’t dictatorial; it’s collaborative, recognizing that the best solutions often arise from a collective effort.
In essence, responsibility in the Staff+ role isn’t just a task list — it’s a leadership manifesto, a pledge to navigate challenges with a steady hand, to inspire excellence, and to foster an environment where every member is not just a contributor but a valued part of a cohesive whole.
Autonomy
When autonomy enters the conversation, our minds often drift to the idea of personal agency — making decisions and taking actions based on our individual desires. However, for a Staff+, autonomy takes a turn; it’s not about you alone but extends to your team. This pillar is intricately linked to aiding the team in making their own decisions, with you serving as a support system. Empowering others to embrace autonomy becomes a strategic focal point.
A Staff+ should wield autonomy to identify and assist teams in problem-solving and to guide them through a maze of questions and insights. Here, the focus shifts from directly addressing problems to enabling and uplifting others. Autonomy becomes a tool, not for personal advancement but for the team’s collective growth.
As a Staff+, your role in autonomy is akin to a mentor on the sidelines, guiding without overshadowing the team’s decision-making ability. This approach creates a dynamic where autonomy isn’t just granted; it’s cultivated and celebrated. The true strength of a Staff+ lies not only in their individual capabilities but in their capacity to ignite autonomy within their team — a ripple effect that propels the entire group toward success.
Impact
Ever met that person — always helpful, perpetually sharing valuable insights, yet not omnipresent? Picture the Yoda in the saga of Star Wars, who crafts the most intriguing questions and insights, weaving a narrative even when not physically present. That’s the kind of impact a Staff+ Engineer should aim for — felt not just within the team but across the entire company.
This impact isn’t confined to sporadic acts of usefulness; it’s about being a strategic architect. A Staff+ Engineer is the orchestrator of presentations that captivate, the source of new concepts that challenge the status quo, and the wellspring of technological insights that propel the company forward. It’s about more than individual brilliance; it’s about defining goals that elevate the engineering team to new heights.
Think of impact as the currency of value that nourishes people’s minds and souls. It’s the lasting imprint of a Staff+ Engineer — felt in the transformative ideas shared, the goals set, and the continuous pursuit of excellence. The impact isn’t just about being seen; it’s about being felt, leaving a legacy that extends beyond the immediate moment
Collaboration
Collaboration can be an elusive concept, but there’s a simple strategy to unravel its essence: focus on the problem at hand.
When people focus on the problem, personal preferences take a back seat. The spotlight shifts to solving the problem most effectively — responding to questions, embracing the challenge of each new query, and finding joy in the process, even if it means reevaluating previous solutions.
For a Staff Engineer, grasping this dynamic is key. It’s about posing not just any questions but the right ones to others and oneself. Offering guidance that steers towards clear answers and solutions becomes paramount while resisting the temptation to merely provide answers.
The collaboration pillar isn’t about individuals working in parallel but a collective effort to tackle the problem from different angles. A Staff Engineer should act as the orchestrator of this symphony, weaving a narrative that encourages diverse perspectives, fosters a culture of open inquiry, and drives toward solutions that transcend individual insights.
In essence, collaboration, when centered around the problem, becomes a journey of shared discovery. It’s a dance of questions and answers, with a Staff Engineer leading the way not by dictating solutions but by guiding the ensemble toward a harmonious resolution.
Community
The final pillar stands apart, yet, in my perspective, it’s the keyston — the Community. I even contemplated whether it should be a standalone pillar or a wave force intertwining with all others. Assisting your team in crafting a community, and fostering a sense of purpose, could be the catalyst propelling you into the realm of a Staff+ Engineer.
It’s a nuanced undertaking, often misconceived as the domain of managerial roles. Contrary to this notion, a community thrives when individuals, driven by passion, enthusiasm, and expertise, come together — a philosophy eloquently detailed in Jano Bacon’s “The Art of Community”. The book underscores the pivotal role of values and purpose in community building — crafting guidelines, fostering participation, selecting the right platform, and fostering collaboration. Many of these principles align with the mentorship aspect, not just for technical or career growth but for fostering a sense of belonging.
A Staff+ Engineer should be able to rally individuals toward collaboration, igniting their passion for new technologies, robust architectures, career advancement, and a purpose beyond the tasks on the team’s board. This goes beyond a mere sense of duty; it’s about instilling a profound sense of purpose and belonging in people.
In action, this might manifest in guiding teams to form study groups for specific technologies, creating forums to discuss solutions, or establishing channels to share newfound technologies and insights. The goal is to cultivate a tech community that amplifies the team’s collective purpose, transcending individual tasks to create a shared journey toward growth and excellence.
Conclusion
In conclusion, by embracing the Staff+ Engineer identity, individuals embark on a journey that requires continuous growth, adaptability, and a commitment to fostering an environment where personal and collective success flourish. It’s not just a career path; it’s a philosophy — a deliberate choice to shape a career that extends far beyond the lines of code and into leadership, mentorship, and community-building.
A special thanks to my old friend and mentor, Eder Ignatowicz, who did the amazing presentation “How Community Engagement Can Boost Your Staff-Plus Career” last year at QCon, in which he shared the importance of engaging communities to grow your career. Also, my communication skills mentor Tereza Guimarães helped me to build my path and pillars for this journey and share them!
If you are interested in how to put it into practice, stay tuned. In the coming weeks, I’ll be sharing more content on how to implement these strategies in your own journey
