From Manager to IC, why soft skills matter more than ever

Staff engineers need more than code; the real power comes from soft skills that let them translate technical knowledge into influence. The piece argues that as engineers climb the ladder, their role shifts from writing code to enabling others through networking, communication, and advocacy. It makes the case that mastering these skills is essential for career growth and team impact.

The author shares a concrete networking story: during a tribe offsite, a colleague's connections opened doors to speakers from other product teams, creating valuable sessions and new collaborations. This example shows how intentional relationship building can unlock resources that benefit the whole team, beyond the immediate project work.

Communication is highlighted with a scenario where a simple conversation about workload revealed pain points about being treated as a feature factory. By raising the issue, the author helped shift focus toward observability and security, leading to happier engineers and better customer outcomes. The narrative illustrates that clear, empathetic dialogue can surface hidden problems and drive organizational change.

Support and outspokenness are framed as core to technical leadership. The author recounts summarizing on-call curriculum survey feedback and pushing improvements, as well as refusing to ship a misleading feature for a health client, which protected the company's reputation. These stories reinforce that influence comes from acting on behalf of the team and speaking up when needed, not just from writing code.