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My Take

Tanya Reilly’s book is essential reading for anyone approaching or in a staff+ engineering role. What makes it special is the honest treatment of the ambiguity and complexity that comes with senior IC positions.

The “three pillars” framework—technical leadership, organizational navigation, and mentorship—provides a mental model I wish I’d had earlier in my career. Each pillar requires different skills, and Reilly doesn’t shy away from the hard parts like navigating politics or dealing with unclear scope.

As an engineering manager, this book helps me better support the staff engineers on my team. I’ve started using Reilly’s framework in career conversations to help ICs identify which pillar they need to develop next.