While Staff Engineer was first and foremost
an attempt to pull the industry towards my perspective on staff-plus engineering roles,
writing it also changed my opinions in a number of ways.
Foremost, it solidified my belief that the industry too often treats engineers like children
to be managed, rather than adults to be involved, and that I needed to change some of my
own leadership practices that I’d inadvertently adopted.

Lethain, authored by Will Larson, offers a unique perspective on engineering management, leadership, and organizational dynamics. Developers and engineering leaders can explore topics such as team building, career growth, and organizational design, gaining insights into building high-impact engineering organizations. With thoughtful reflections and actionable advice, Lethain serves as a resource for those navigating the complexities of engineering leadership.

Irrational Exuberance

Including senior engineers directly in leadership meetings creates better decision-making by keeping leaders grounded in technical reality. The approach involves having senior engineers report directly to the Head of Engineering/CTO and participate fully in leadership discussions alongside managers. Benefits include preventing management from becoming disconnected from actual work, enabling faster technical decisions, creating alternative information channels, and setting expectations that managers stay technical while engineers understand management. The main filter is that it exposes engineers who want authority without accountability.

Should you include engineers in your leadership meetings?