tags: #publish links: [[Management Articles]] created: 2021-09-14 Tue --- # Care and Feeding of Staff-Plus Engineers https://upekabee.medium.com/the-care-and-feeding-of-staffplus-engineers-573ed0e758c4 related: [[Implementers, Solvers, and FInders]] Some particular sections that stood out to me: > As key role models and guides for the strategic direction of your software, StaffPlus engineers need to frequently take off their engineer hats and learn what customers’ problems are — whether they originate in the actual code, or in the operations of a completely “unrelated” division of the company. (Principal Engineers, in particular, aren’t afforded the luxury of “unrelated” divisions. If the phrase “Not my problem” is part of their vocabulary, then “Principal Engineer” is not part of their title.) > - How do we _not simply solve problem X — but solve every possible instance of the category comprising X_? > - How do we reduce costs — monetary, labor-hours, emotional, or otherwise? > - How can we create “pits of success” so our engineers can more easily do the right thing by default? > - How can we make it easier for engineers to add features? And make other systemic improvements that create leveraged impact? > - And so on. > Alongside solving problems **before anyone knows they exist** is also helping their teams around them understand what happened or what needs to happen. As role models and influencers of your organization, you should coach your StaffPlus engineer on teaching mechanisms, spreading their influence and knowledge within your org. As one of my reports, [Steve Konves](https://twitter.com/stevekonves) likes to say “Every problem is a marketing problem” and the more appealing or entertaining their content is the more successful they will be at this. > StaffPlus engineers are a big deal. People look up to them and it can be isolating and stressful. They are also not immune to impostor syndrome. They spend a lot of their time guiding and boosting engineers around them; they help your company to make large and difficult decisions; They have to deal with things like ageism and pressure to keep getting better, which is really hard when you’re at “the top” of the career ladder. Finding ways to keep building skills and growing gets harder when you’re always expected to know the answer to everything. > Your StaffPlus engineers need a lot more encouragement than most people think. They’re expected to know everything, which is literally impossible. So, giving StaffPlus engineers chances to experience “beginner’s mind” and a safe space to experiment with new technologies/principles is very important. They need their own support system and their own sense of community.