Staff engineers exist in a system of patronage

Most CTOs/VPs of engineering believe a fiction of how staff/principal engineers roles actually work. They imagine an independent, roaming, technical elite helping uplevel the entire company, putting their heads together to solve foundational company-wide problems.

That’s not how it works at all. Staffs exist in a de-facto system of patronage - beholden to managers with actual power.

Directors/managers often covetously hold onto one or more of the staff engineer archetypes. Even if, on paper, they’re not supposed to, they have final say in technical decision (well because they can fire you!). So if you’re a staff engineer that thrives in the archetype usurped by your manager, you will need to find a different manager or archetype. A respected technical leader not “in line” with how a manager runs things becomes a political threat.

And it makes sense. It’s absurd that a manager would be ultimately responsible for the success of a technical/product area, then completely outsource the big-picture, strategic technical thinking. Either you lead an area, or you don’t, and outsourcing crucial parts can feel like accountability without autonomy. So I don’t begrudge managers from holding onto archetypes - especially in areas they feel they thrive.

People managers hold the cards. THEY divy out the Staff roles. They do this based on their team’s unspoken definition of “senior-most technical leaders”. What behaviors get rewarded? What is punished? In some organizations, this means the best heads-down coders get promotions. People hacking on innovative side projects might get shunned as “noise”. In other organizations, the manager rewards “Tech Leads” that own an area. Other managers micromanage every technical area. As a people manager, YOU seek techical leaders that fit into YOUR model of working.

So it doesn’t matter what the “official” role is. It doesn’t matter if the role says its about “company-wide” technical excellence or leadership. Or that staffs act as tech leads, or not. Hack on new innovative areas, or not. The reality is the role is what your manager wants super-senior to be. The reality is a system of patronage.

Staff promotions help managers bestow a level of status: this person embodies what we value out of this org’s most senior technical leaders (which, as we said, will vary tremendously by org). “Staff” also recognizes subject matter expertise: giving that “AI engineer” the salary range comensurate with the demand for those skills, but not an indication of actual technical leadership. Finally, “Staff” title lets managers give the raises they want. It’s easier to tell HR someone is getting a promotion, than arguing for higher pay for a Senior eng role.

All these cards (bestowing status, giving raises) are held by the patron. The patron decides what types of archetypes a Staff can fulfill, what types of leadership they trust giving to others.

We can give lip-service all we want to company-wide technical leadership. Rarely does the management structure reflect this reality. Most organizations don’t have incentive to create some kind of parallel structure of roving Staffs. All it takes is one bad experience where staff/managers have a conflict, resulting in stalled project launch, to make company leadership rethink this. Companies almost always keep the boring, old hierarchical leadership with Staffs subordinate to managers/directors in charge of specific areas.

In a system of patronage, any power is bestowed/delegated by the people manager, or held back. As a Staff, you have to navigate and find a patron that needs your particular set of skills. There’s a really good chance how you lead will clash with your manager’s style. You have to constantly network with OTHER managers in case you don’t have a fit or the org chart changes. And this goes beyond your company: find potential patrons at other employers that gel with your style.

If your goal is to have company-wide impact, you must go UP the chain, find patrons at higher levels of management. Very rare is the Staff/Principal that can operate independent of technical leadership. When you see it, it’s probably the case this person has a patron at a high level. A relationship and defined way of working backed by political forces. But be prepared for pushback, you might be inviting hornets nests of problems as you’re seen meddling in other organization’s business. That’s why, in my experience, it’s pretty rare. All the incentives align to keep Staffs within an organization.

Navigating all of this can feel like a mess. But it’s crucial. Reflect where you fit in, where you don’t, and don’t be surprised (or even offended) if your brand of technical leadership doesn’t mesh with your manager’s. It’s just a sign you need to keep dating for a new patron :).