Writing for Impact

Most of the time, a Product Manager (PM) owns the “story,” and engineers just build it. If you want Staff+ territory, you need to write to think.

Promotions go to the person whose thinking is clear, credible, and persistent. For example, think of your 2-pager as a tiny decision engine. It doesn’t try to say everything; it makes the right things obvious.

Docs scale your influence because they travel without you, get forwarded to leaders you’ve never met, and make your impact visible in planning decks.

John writes sharp documents, too, but he keeps them buried in his private Confluence space. Yours will be the ones people link in all hands.

Tips for Staff+ writing

Here are some writing tips for Staff+ engineers:

• Write like you talk: Simple words beat jargon.

• Numbers are better than adjectives: Show data, not “very fast.”

• Show non-goals: Protect scope.

• Prefer faster learning: Pick the one that teaches faster if two options tie.

Make it async-friendly. Link data, paste the chart, and note the metric you’ll move.

John Quest: Write a 2-pager

Pick a real feature you’re working on (or want to work on) and draft a one-minute read. This can be the start of a 2-pager:  

• Problem + metric (1 paragraph)

• Options (A/B/C, 1 line each)

• Recommendation (1 line) 

• Risks (3 words each) + guardrail

Side quest: Post it in your team channel and ask for a yes/no on your recommendation. It will get leadership’s attention.