Coca

If you can break a complex problem down into pieces that can be understood and shared across people or teams, and turn an impossible project into a concrete roadmap, you can show the kind of broad impact that drives senior promotions.

One of the most consistent observations I’ve had in my time in startups, scale-ups, and public companies is that smart people with context on a tricky situation almost always know exactly what they need to do.

Teams obsess about company strategy, about data, and about frameworks for decision-making. But I’ve found that for most operational decisions

Writing down thoughts, plans, reasoning, and standards is the way you will scale yourself.

In many settings, your judgment and learning are calibrated by working alongside a more experienced partner: airline first officers with captains, rookies with seasoned cops, residents with experienced surgeons.

Know your technical debt, the understanding and management of which is key for a sustainable architecture. Lack of awareness of technical debt will eventually result in a software product that cannot respond to new feature demands in a cost-effective manner.

Always help other people. Even if you are a beginner yourself, you can always teach and give something back to those who are trying to catch up. Magical things will happen when you do. You don’t have to be a master to help someone out.