Table of Contents
As long as there is no shortage of budget, there is no shortage of incredibly skilled engineers with each offering their own invaluable domain experience. When tasked to build or review a codebase, their results get delivered at a velocity the company has never seen before. For small companies, even faster than their own department.
How do these engineers fare when not delegated tasks? To me, agency and persona are the primary differentiators between an incredible engineer and a one of a kind engineer
The one of a kind engineer is capable of identifying gaps in tech that the business was not even aware of, exclusive of things done wrong. They have the agency to formulate a solution without supervision. Their persona has sufficient confidence to deliver, even if the challenge is formidable. Effort is made to empart knowledge because to them, the subject matter is an enjoyable discussion.
There are often articles written about how “10x” developers don’t exist, describing how none have been encountered in their professional career even at prominent tech companies. One reason is because this calibre of engineer does not thrive within common company structures. Company politics and meeting burnout are devastating, compounded by failed comprehension of their ideas and philosophy effectively are to answer for these article conclusions.
The incredible engineer who has both agency and suitable persona is truly immeasurable.