estherderbyOne path goes toward management with more focus on “people stuff.” The other stays technical — Staff Engineer, Principal Engineer, Architect.
Read the full article: Technical Leadership is Leadership
▸ https://lttr.ai/AsPWX
CodeaholicguyThe new 10x Engineer with AI
The idea of the “10x engineer” has always been a bit controversial. Some people see it as a myth. Some people see it as a harmful label that creates hero culture. Some people have worked with engineers who clearly create much more impact than others, and believe the idea is real. I sit somewhere in the middle. I don’t think a 10x engineer means someone who writes 10x more code than everyone else. That version of the idea was never useful to me. Writing more code is not the same as […]https://codeaholicguy.com/2026/05/13/the-new-10x-engineer-with-ai/
A Staff Engineer who raises a concern in an architecture review that causes the team to change course–that’s leadership.
Read more 👉 https://lttr.ai/ArCYp
"When a Principal Engineer sets a standard for how code gets reviewed and the whole team gradually rises to it, that’s leadership." https://lttr.ai/AqPjB
Sally LaitWith things like this I'm increasingly at the mercy of LinkedIn's joyous algorithm, so in the hope that it may reach someone it wouldn't otherwise, here's a #workshop I'm running at the end of the month. If you or someone you know may be interested, give me a shout or pass it on! 👇🏻
https://ticketpass.org/event/EGLJQD/crisis-simulation-navigating-leadership-challenges-in-real-time
☝🏻Crisis Simulation! Navigating leadership challenges in real time
(For people in #tech leadership, in roles such as #EngineeringManager, #StaffEngineer, #ProductManager etc)
QCon Software ConferencesPerfect architecture means nothing if team dynamics don't support it. At QCon London 2026, Vanessa Formicola shares why Staff+ engineers must architect sociotechnical systems not just code.
रञ्जित (Ranjit Mathew)Pragmatic:
“How I Estimate Work As A Staff Software Engineer”, Sean Goedecke (https://www.seangoedecke.com/how-i-estimate-work/).
On HN: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46742389
On Lobsters: https://lobste.rs/s/dspppf/how_i_estimate_work_as_staff_software
Some hard truths here 👇🏽:
“Why Senior Engineers Let Bad Projects Fail”, Lalit Maganti (https://lalitm.com/post/why-senior-engineers-let-bad-projects-fail/).
Via Lobsters: https://lobste.rs/s/pddded/why_senior_engineers_let_bad_projects
On HN: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46640366
#Work #Influence #SeniorEngineer #StaffEngineer #InfluenceWithoutAuthority
Why Senior Engineers Let Bad Projects Fail
When I was a junior engineer, my manager would occasionally confide his frustrations to me in our weekly 1:1s. He would point out a project another team was working on and say, “I don’t believe that project will go anywhere, they’re solving the wrong problem.” I used to wonder, “But you are very senior, why don’t you just go and speak to them about your concerns?” It felt like a waste of his influence to not say anything. So it’s quite ironic that I found myself last week explaining to a mentee why I thought a sister team’s project would have to pivot because they’d made a poor early design choice. And he rightfully asked me the same question I had years ago: “why don’t you just tell them your opinion?” It’s been on my mind ever since because I realized I’d changed my stance on it a lot over the years.
Brian Allbee(More thoughts prompted by thinking about my recently published book: https://www.packtpub.com/en-UA/product/hands-on-software-engineering-with-python-9781835888001)
At some point in most engineering careers, something subtle shifts.
Early on, the job is mostly about writing code: implement the ticket, follow the standards, make the tests pass. That work matters. But over time, especially as systems grow more complex, the center of gravity moves.
#Python #SoftwareEngineering #StaffEngineer #CareerGrowth #TechnicalLeadership
👌🏽👇🏽:
“Why I Ignore The Spotlight As A Staff Engineer”, Lalit Maganti (https://lalitm.com/software-engineering-outside-the-spotlight/).
On HN: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46146451
On Lobsters: https://lobste.rs/s/xdjgbd/why_i_ignore_spotlight_as_staff_engineer