lead by example, engineer the future

or simply put, be the change you seek

A popular quote, "Be the change you wish to see in the world," attributed to Gandhi (and paraphrased rather than directly quoted), emphasizes his belief in personal responsibility and self-transformation as the foundation for broader social change. It starts with us, with our actions, attitudes, and behaviours rather than waiting for external circumstances or others to change first. It questions the status quo.

The above quote applies powerfully to staff engineers, who shape systems, culture, and outcomes through action. Here's how we can embody this ethos:

1. Start with doing

Our previous job/job title means nothing. We need to regain credibility in unfamiliar territory, even as Principal Engineers. To do this, we need to execute and deliver. We can't depend only on the title's credibility or our manager. This well would dry quickly. Show what you expect from others, and try to do this how you would like others to work. What exactly needs to be proven depends on the company, but we need to earn credibility in every company.

2. Shift from "doer" to amplifier

We should prioritize mentoring, code reviews, and architectural guidance over hands-on coding to do this. Our expertise should elevate others' work, not replace it. We can use micro celebrations as a tool to amplify desired behaviour.

Our success should be measured by the team's growth, not our individual output (yes, some Performance Reviews prefer individual outputs). As Warren Bennis noted, "Leadership is the capacity to translate vision into reality."

3. Solve systemic challenges

As senior Individual Contributors, we should look for opportunities to tackle cross-team issues like tech debt, misaligned priorities, or inefficient processes. We can say that we are parachute into tough situations to provide clarity, turning friction into momentum.

We should work on building coalitions, not mandates. As Andy Warhol said, "You actually have to change things yourself." Work on proactive collaboration to influence meaningful change by influencing others, not by authority.

4. Protect strategic focus

To lead by example and actually do things, we need to plan and guard time for deep work that we need to spend on high-impact projects. To do this, we need to be able to filter out short-term fixes that conflict with the long-term goal. A good question to ask yourself is: Will this short-term goal/fix still be valid if we deliver this high-impact project? If the answer is no, drop it/remove it/reject it.

5. Model continuous reinvention

The most problematic thing for new Staff+ Engineers is the discomfort that we feel in our role, caused by ambiguity and (to be honest) career change, not a promotion. We are shifting to a role that requires a technical dept blended with leadership agility and communication skills like a good PR person. That requires reinvention of us, not as a single event, but as continuous work that we should put in to improve/gain skills that we were lacking.

To do this, we should share our failures openly. As Zig Ziglar said, "Failure is an event, not a person." We should foster psychological safety and iterative improvement.

Final thought

Our greatest leverage isn't code — it's clarity, culture, and courage to redefine what's possible. As Buckminster Fuller urged:

"Build a new model that makes the existing obsolete".

I'll leave you with a reflection about change and the stance we take when we choose not to act. I once read a story about a father who was upset with his son for witnessing bullying and doing nothing. The son stood silently, and as the father pointed out, by standing still, he had made a decision. Choosing not to act is itself a decision. Are you certain that's the best decision you can make?