Managing Staff-plus engineers

Managing staff-plus engineers is less about telling them what to do and more about providing sponsorship and space. When a manager spends every day giving direction they waste the engineer's strategic impact; instead they should back their initiatives, give weekly feedback, and let them own outcomes.

These engineers operate on longer horizons and often feel disconnected from the immediate product feedback loop. A manager can rewire their definition of success by surfacing the trade-offs, highlighting how their work ties to business outcomes, and regularly reminding them they are role models for the whole team.

Effective communication is critical. Managers have access to information that rarely reaches engineers, so creating a reproducible process-whether a weekly email, a dedicated chat channel, or structured 1:1 updates-keeps staff-plus engineers informed and able to advocate for technical priorities during planning.

Finally, protect their deep-thinking time while preventing overflow. Shield them from endless coordination, give them unrefined problem spaces to shape, and gradually cede ownership of technical quality and cross-team influence. Showing appreciation and aligning their work with business goals keeps them motivated and prevents burnout.