Leadership

Welcome to the Leadership module of the Staff Engineering Preparation course. As you move from Senior to Staff Engineer, your primary lever for impact shifts from writing code to influencing people and teams. This module focuses on the critical soft skills required to operate effectively at this level.

You will learn how to drive technical decisions across teams where you have no formal authority, how to build and leverage social capital, and how to create alignment in complex organizations. We will also cover the nuanced differences between mentorship and sponsorship, and how to both receive and give sponsorship to accelerate careers.

Module Contents

1. Influence Without Authority

Learn the fundamental mechanisms of influence, how to build trust, and how to use the “Currencies of Influence” model to negotiate effectively with stakeholders.

2. Sponsorship and Mentoring

Distinguish between mentorship (advice) and sponsorship (advocacy). Learn how to identify potential sponsors and how to become an effective sponsor for others.

3. Cross-Team Alignment

Master the art of getting multiple teams to agree on a shared direction. We explore techniques for conflict resolution, consensus building, and driving large-scale technical initiatives.

4. Module Review

Review key concepts with flashcards and a cheat sheet to prepare for your interviews.

Module Chapters