I just finished reading "Staff Engineer: Leadership beyond the management track" by Will Larson (https://staffeng.com/book/) and it was an incredibly insightful look into the Staff role. The interviews with Staff+ engineers were especially valuable, providing a real-world view of how high-leverage technical leadership operates.
The book led me to Tanya Reilly’s seminal article, "Being Glue,” (https://www.noidea.dog/glue) and it immediately resonated with my own experience...
Reilly captures the essential, yet often invisible, work that holds a team together: mentoring, documentation, facilitating, and anticipating organizational needs. I realized that a lot of my most impactful work in my previous role was exactly this "glue work."
🔑 The key takeaway for me?🔑 To make "glue work" a force multiplier, you must be intentional and make its strategic value visible. It's not just "soft skills"—it's a critical component of technical leadership.
And it’s not so much a component for early-career developers in some ladders.
If you're an IC looking to grow your career, I highly recommend reading both the book and the article to redefine how you view your contributions and influence.
What is your experience with "glue work"? Do you see it valued on your team?
#StaffEngineer #TechnicalLeadership #SoftwareEngineering #CareerGrowth #IndividualContributor
Zhach