How I Almost Didn't Become A Staff Engineer
The psychology of a promotion is just as important as technical skills
Are you a senior engineer who wonders if you should chase that Staff/Principal Engineer promotion or remain a senior engineer?
Today, we have a guest, Raviraj Achar, who had the exact same dilemma. He shares why he was undecided, how he made a decision, and if that decision was right for him in retrospect.
Over to Raviraj.
Hey! I’m Raviraj, author of the Techlead Mentor newsletter and a Staff Engineer at FAANG. To those struggling with this dilemma, I will be honest - I was extremely afraid to make the leap to the Staff Engineering level. I was constantly worried about failure at the next level. I was torn between this fear and my desire to level up. I almost gave up trying for the promotion.
With the right support and help, I could clear my head and learn what I really wanted. Here is my story:
🔍 Background (2018)
As a newly promoted senior engineer, I led projects and played a supportive role in defining the team’s strategy. I was comfortable shipping complex projects and became the de facto point of contact for most of my team areas.
I also helped fellow engineers grow while the team went through manager changes. I even did project management for our key project and shepherded it across the finish line. So, over time, I took on team responsibilities in addition to delivering my projects.
Life was great as a senior engineer!
🧲 The Pull Towards Staff (2018/19)
I felt comfortable beating expectations at the senior level and also demonstrated some form of leadership. So naturally, I began to wonder if I should start building a plan to get a promotion.
While Staff Engineers are individual contributors, the role is a leadership role (at least for most Staff Engineers).
As engineers reach the staff level, there is a fundamental shift in expectations. You transition from thinking about what you can do to figuring out how the team can deliver impact. You also start taking on more ambiguity and tackle difficult problems that only a few would attempt. So, it is a different job profile with a lot of added “team” responsibilities.
🤔 My Dilemma(2019)
In 15 months, I had four manager changes. Some of those interim managers gave me vague feedback that confused me even when I got good ratings. For example, I was told I should build more “customer empathy”, but when asked how I could improve, I didn’t get a specific answer. Our conversation went something like this:
Manager: You need to work on your customer empathy.
Me: Could you give me an example of where I've fallen short in that area?
Manager: It's just a general observation. You should be more... empathetic, you know?
Me: I'm not sure I understand. Can you provide some concrete feedback or situations where I could have shown more empathy?
Manager: (sighing) You're not getting it. This is exactly what I mean. You need to figure it out yourself. That's part of growing in your role.
I even got into some endless debates with one manager, and to this day, I still don’t understand why we disagreed. These interactions made me think I wasn’t good enough to even bring up the topic of promotion.
I had also read many Blind posts about how people got promoted but then couldn’t meet expectations at the Staff level. I read how “a tech lead failed to defend their team project when questioned by some strong voices.” That upset the team and some customers. That Staff Engineer got a bad rating. I over-indexed on failure cases that I heard through grapevine. I feared that if I got promoted I might be rated poorly based on new expectations.
I didn’t seek help to understand the expectations at the next level and my growth areas. My confidence levels were like a rollercoaster. When I successfully led cross-team projects or navigated tricky situations, I'd feel on top of the world, thinking I had it all figured out. But then, if I stumbled—say, failing to win over a customer—I'd spiral into self-doubt, magnifying my mistakes. It was a constant back-and-forth between feeling confident one day and an imposter the next. This see-saw of emotions left me unsure about my true capabilities and readiness for the next level.
Fear blows out of proportion when we let it grow. I worried about “what if I can’t handle unknown situations, like complex strategic alignment, at the next level” and being fired. So, the fear of failure stopped me from even playing the game! I was also on a visa back then, so being let go would jeopardize my stay in the US. The stakes were high.
Lastly, I felt content with my salary and the job profile. In my company, the levels are hidden, so “titles” didn’t bother me. So, there wasn’t a real drive to level up.
🛠️ What Helped
A seasoned manager in the org pulled me aside one day and told me my team would finally get a manager. He also told me that the director wanted me to work with the new manager towards my promotion. I shared with him my fears about expectations at the next level and that I didn’t want to get a poor performance rating and get fired with sky-high expectations. He explained that the expectation at the next level, to be a leader, was that I was mature enough to learn from my mistakes. Every leader makes mistakes, but those that are successful learn from them. And that he saw that in me. So I decided to go for it.
I asked myself, “Where do I want to be in 10 years?” I wanted to be a leader who influenced the company's strategy. That meant I couldn’t be stuck at the senior level if I wanted to progress towards my goal. So, I had to figure out how to reach the intermediate stage, i.e., the Staff Engineering level.
The new manager built a “promo bar” document based on my previous reviews and feedback from other managers. They also demystified all vague feedback and helped me build a solid plan.
✅ Was it the right decision?
I was nervous even after my promotion until my first review (2021) at the new level. My manager and I had documented what I needed to deliver as a new Staff, and I beat those expectations! Getting that exceeds-expectation rating took a huge amount of pressure off of me. That repeated in the subsequent reviews, proving that it was the right decision for me.
🤷♂️ Is the Staff Promotion for everyone?
It is hard to prescribe a single answer for everyone. There are too many parameters involved here, but here are some considerations:
The job profile is different, and not everyone enjoys its various aspects. So, understand what excites you vs. drains you out.
Everyone’s journey is different - Some want to get that promotion faster, while others want to take on riskier projects. So, don’t chase the promotion just because someone else got there. Focus on your growth areas instead.
Building new skills takes a lot of energy, and you may have other competing challenges outside work that tire you out. So, be cognizant of what you are trading off.
I hate it when people who are almost ready shy away from Staff promotions due to self-doubt or a lack of guidance. To those out there, I suggest:
Stop letting the fear of failure keep you from trying for the promotion.
Seek help! Most of us need guidance to grow but hesitate to be vulnerable with others.
Don’t let Blind posts or others’ failures stop you.
📧 Keep in touch
If you want to read more from me, join my newsletter and follow me on LinkedIn. If you are struggling with the same dilemma, feel free to email me at raviraj@techleadmentor.com
Thanks again to Raviraj for sharing his story. Make sure to subscribe to his newsletter for more.
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Great read, thank you