I’ve noticed something interesting about most of the engineers I know—they often lack a deep understanding of the business implications and overall impact of their work. As someone who recognizes the significance of the “bigger picture,” I find myself spending a considerable amount of time explaining and demonstrating the real-world effects of our projects.
I often gather data from various departments, particularly sales & marketing, and present it to the engineers. It’s amazing how engineers who grasp the big picture become more engaged and excel in their roles.
However, I face a challenge in collecting this “big picture” myself. I constantly find myself having to follow artifacts and communication channels from other departments, which can be quite overwhelming.
So, fellow leaders, I’d love to hear your thoughts on measuring the business impact and ensuring that our engineers are aware of it. How do you tackle these challenges in your own organizations 🚀💡
This is a struggle. I’ve found it helpful to use skip-level 1:1’s to discuss this topic, and make sure my skip level knows ahead of time (and on an ongoing basis) that building this map (and helping to guide others through it) is a priority of mine so they can prepare at their level to provide information that I might be missing.
It’s also a great opportunity to provide that same skip-level with the perspective from the engineers in the organization on the "flip side’ of that coin. You’re facilitating communication and alignment in both directions.