As a manager, you are successful if your team is successful. This is common wisdom by now — we all know that.

But the dual version is also true: as an engineer, you can only be successful by making your manager successful. Let that sink in!

What are your manager’s goals and concerns? How can you help them reach their goals?

Soft skills sometimes seem abstract / fluffy — but this stuff is real, and super practical. Developing empathy and being able to put yourself in other people's shoes is a superpower, and makes an enormous difference to your career.