How to Manage Up as a Staff Engineer
Most engineers have an uncomfortable relationship with the phrase “managing up.” It sounds like politics, like playing games, like doing something other than the real work. The discomfort is understandable — and it leads to a lot of staff engineers doing excellent technical work that doesn’t get funded, prioritized, or protected. Managing up is not about manipulation or self-promotion. It’s about ensuring that the people responsible for resource allocation, roadmap decisions, and organizational priorities have accurate information about the work you’re doing and why it matters. When you manage up poorly, decisions get made with incomplete information. That’s bad for the organization and bad for the work you care about. ...