"When work is no longer handed to you"

When I first stepped into a more senior role, I didn’t know how to handle the change.
As an IC, I was used to being handed work with clear edges: a project, a deadline, a plan. Suddenly, the work wasn’t given to me anymore, it was mine to define.

I didn’t have the courage to say, “I don’t know what to do.” So I muddled through. Waited until someone tapped me on the shoulder to tell me I was off track.

That’s why I admired a principal engineer I worked with. They did say it. Out loud. And that honesty gave us the chance to talk through the real shift: at higher levels, progress isn’t measured by finishing tasks on a plate, but by shaping what should even be on the plate.

These days I approach it differently. I ask the experienced people around me: “Is there anything I’m not doing that you think I should be doing?” That gives them space to raise expectations, and it gives me clarity before misalignment grows.

The instinct to muddle through is common. The courage to ask is what moves you forward.

Until next time,
Dermot
The Messy Middle.

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