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How to be a Staff Engineer

January 30th, 2024 (9 months ago) • 2 minutes

A staff engineer is a significant milestone in an engineer's career. It is a role that coupled with a lot of influence and thus likeability and credibility. It's where your actions are always being looked upon and your message can dictate the actions of many engineers.

Often time, communication is the key to success. When a Staff Engineer speaks, they have a common attribute:

  • Taking a broader view and consider the organization as a whole
  • Find the best solution by bringing people together and taking their inputs.
  • Make the team feel heard, included and bough into the solution.
  • Value reputation, personal brand and influence.

So what can you improve to become a Staff Engineer?

  1. Organization awareness. Look across your team, start building network and learn what others are doing.

  2. Problems. Look internally on the team's stuggles. What is the biggest problem that can be solved that would yield the largest impact? Are you not only saying but also delivering?

  3. Productivity. Are you able to spot problems AND offer a solution to it so another outstanding person can take care of it?

  4. Team. How do you instill good culture and values in the team? How can you raise the bar and push people to be better? Are people networking and learning from each other?

  5. The Future. What is the industry doing? Are you think 2 or 3 quarters ahead?

I think a good way to be something you want is to start embodying it. The more you act like it, the more you become one. Even though it's a distant future, it's never too early to start.