Starting from nothing

When leading major technical initiatives as a staff engineer, operate in three key phases: planning, execution, and stepping away

Build strong alignment in three directions:

• Upward with management/leadership
• Laterally with team leads and peers
• Downward with ICs on the team

Maintain flexibility in your role and move between three modes:

• All in: Fully embedded with the team doing IC work
• Supporting: Helping but not directly building
• Stepping away: Gradually reducing involvement

During initial planning and team formation:

• Start with a small core team
• Choose tech leads with demonstrated expertise
• Be explicit about roles and responsibilities
• Build trust through hands-on involvement

Focus on breaking down ambiguous problems:

• Do discovery work ahead of the team
• Form and share clear opinions
• Maintain the right level of ambiguity
• Enable teams to find solutions themselves

When stepping away from direct involvement:

• Communicate the transition clearly
• Continue attending key meetings/rituals
• Remain available for support
• Don’t leave critical gaps in leadership

Remember that success requires:

• Over-communication of priorities and status
• Building strong relationships and trust
• Focus on people problems, not just technical
• Winning together as a team
• Maintaining flexibility to go where most needed