I generally don’t like “listicles”, especially ones that try to make you feel bad by suggesting that you “need” these skills as a senior engineer.
However, I do find this list valuable because it serves as a self-reflection tool.
Here are some areas I am pretty weak in:
- How to write a design doc, take feedback, and drive it to resolution, in a reasonable period of time
- How to convince management that they need to invest in a non-trivial technical project
- How to repeat yourself enough that people start to listen
Anything here resonate with y’all?
Any specific examples? I never got that impression, but maybe I’m being naive.
More likely that I am the naive one - I know that there is no place without politics (we’re all humans after all), but I strive to minimize politics, because it drains me.
What I meant specifically were those two points:
and
Beyond basic human courtesy, I don’t agree that the fragility of other peoples ego should be the leitmotif of communication in a professional setting. I’d think a senior engineer should be able to speak up without beating around the bush, both to peers and higher-ups. I would assume for the higher-ups it should be more valuable to get candid responses from those in the trenches than smile-and-nod-yes-men responses.
And I think the counterpart of the second “listen to other engineers’ ideas without feeling threatened” is really good advice, because unlike the other one it is under your control and also a good thing in itself.
Then I also find “How to get another engineer to do something for you by asking for help in a way that makes them feel appreciated” has a bit of a manipulative touch.
That doesn’t seem politics to me, but empathy. Approaching people without considering their moods and feelings is a recipe to be badly interpreted (specially given the ambiguities in human interaction).