The base expectation for engineers is that you don't just build whatever you're asked.

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Senior engineers are expected to go beyond just implementing requirements - they must push back on product decisions, own OKRs and roadmaps, work directly with stakeholders to solve business problems, and champion long-term technical vision. The role involves setting strategic direction, managing multi-month or multi-year projects, and ensuring all team efforts align with the overall technical vision. Engineers who only execute tasks without questioning or strategic thinking typically don't advance beyond mid-level positions.

What makes a senior engineer

Software Engineering Lessons from Production

Their calendar is 90% meetings, 10% actual engineering.

They are engineers, they design things with though taking up more time. Then they use that design and make it into quality code after though. Think about a problem, think about how how you are going to solve that problem, solve that problem (code)

Really would like to dialog on this. I feel in some ways that the result is more important to stakeholders to the point that any push back is seen as reductive, almost insubordinate. How common is this practice?

When I was first getting into the industry, I was confused about the difference between a Web Developer and a Software Engineer. My friend explained the difference with a basic breakdown: a web developer maintains and extends existing web applications whereas a software engineer works with them from the ground up, gathering requirements, scope, developing, testing and releasing.
I found this a very useful definition to carry with me.

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