A staff+ role means you are a not only a good dev, but also a good leader. Leading initiatives without command and control over reports can be a challenge.

On top of your strong technical skills, you need to be able to tell inspiring stories, deliver critical feedback tactfully, write clearly, build relationships and handle disagreements.

These are some key activities for staff+ devs trying to keep their initiatives rolling:

  1. Storytelling. Frame the problem/initiative with context so that other people care about it.
  2. Have a clear and simple goal. If going from 0 to 1, a very easy one to get the ball rolling.
  3. Over-Communicate. Repeat your story, and update on progress towards the goal frequently.
  4. Set a standard. Either yourself or with a pioneering team. People need to see what it looks like.
  5. Write down changes. Use decision records to get buy in. Modify existing paradigms instead of starting from scratch where possible.
  6. Relationships. Build trust with influential devs, team leads, and PMs. Gather feedback.
  7. If behind, escalate to your leadership with highly specific asks.
    • Ex. “Can you message , and ask them when they will complete this ?".