Welcome to the Impactful Engineering newsletter, where you’ll gain access to actionable tips, strategies, and the mindset for an exceptional career. Every newsletter you will learn a new skill, key mindset, or overall perspective that will empower you to reach your goals and increase your impact.

The Quiet Engineers

What you will learn!

What: Visibility in the workplace

How: Contributing to meetings, pairing with your opposite, and gain advocates

Recap: Going forward

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What: Visibility in the workplace

We all have different approaches to how we show up and become visible at work. Some of us have natural tendencies that lend to high visibility right away (for better or worse) and some of us do the exact opposite - we tend to be in the shadows. In either scenario, being visible within your company, your role, and your team is very important to one’s career.

In this edition of the Impactful Engineer Newsletter, we take a look at those engineers that tend to be on the quieter side. We share what we have experienced over the years and how we think those quiet engineers can have the most impact in their careers.

We’ve observed a few things. Mainly, that these engineers are super thoughtful and critical thinkers that make very good technical engineers. They are killers when it comes to getting things done. We’ve also noticed that they might not be able to have the influence they want in the team, or the visibility needed to get in front of those that make the decisions around their promotions, raises, or both.

Some engineers don’t care, some do. Actually, scratch that, I would say most, if not all, people want to make more money, be promoted, and be rewarded for the work they do.

One part of moving up in a company requires that you make key relationships, showcase your skills, and become advocated for. It’s undeniable that at a certain point, you need others to help you get where you want to go.

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How: Contributing to meetings, pairing with your opposite, and gain advocates

With the realization that we need to be visible, show others what we are made of, and gain rapport with the right people to ultimately get where we want to go in the company. Let’s apply our impactful engineering mindset and see what it takes to get there.

We also share some insight into how you can work with quiet engineers, as well as some of the unintended consequences that can arise.

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Practical Idea: Contributing To effective meetings & huddles

Example 👇

Effective communication is key in your career. No, It’s not the over communicator, nor is it the engineer that is outgoing and everybody knows (there are advantages and disadvantages to this). It’s where you apply that communication.

Some of the most important ways communication plays a role in your career as an engineer comes down to conveying ideas to groups, contributing to solutions in a team environment, and having an opinion. This also depends on your desired career track, but we are assuming upward mobility is a desire in this scenario.

Being on the quieter side, you could have the need to think deeply on something prior to contributing. Gathering all the facts and mulling it over is important before you feel your contributions will be accurate and worthwhile. This can lead to “going unheard” in a faster pace environment such as team huddles and project meetings. This could also lead to a perception that you are not confident enough to participate in meetings or contribute to ideas.

The great thing is that you can take a practical approach to keeping that perception from being formed. And these tips will also build your confidence.

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How to approach 👇

Request agendas for meetings and team huddles so that you can prepare. You can (and should) ask for clarity around the goals of any given meeting. If someone can’t come up with an agenda, then what is the point of the meeting?

Effective meetings start with a detailed agenda that provides clarity on the topics to be discussed and the objectives to be achieved. This is particularly beneficial for quiet and thoughtful engineers to gather their thoughts and contribute effectively during the meeting. Come with some questions around the goals to help drive the meeting. Also, have some thoughts on how the group can achieve the goals for their consideration (careful not to “die on the hill” with an initial idea).

If you must attend a meeting you know nothing about, follow up with your thoughts once you’ve had a chance to think it over. One way to get yourself in a position of visibility is to ask to take on an assignment as a result of the meeting. In a lot of meetings, there are more questions than answers. You can take one of those questions without an answer and report back to the group at a later date, giving you time to work your magic on it and contribute to the group. Your follow up could be just what the group needs.

Totally afraid of contributing? Start with super small and low-risk things like contributing to questions like “where should we go for lunch today?” Start small, gain momentum.

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Practical Idea: Working with quiet engineers

Example 👇

For those working with quiet engineers, take responsibility for yourself and identify how you can help them become more visible. After all, it is every single member of the team’s job to elevate each other.

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How to approach 👇

You can make the environment more inclusive by soliciting feedback and/or giving the appropriate time for people to collect their thoughts and come to a conclusion. This could be days prior to any meeting or days after. Work with them and see what they are comfortable with. This is done all the time and works very well. Be very clear with assignments and follow up.

You can also suggest that some people take on assignments and report back to the group. Ask for volunteers inside or outside of the meeting.

Another huge deal; some of those quiet engineers simply do not consider the subject of the meeting to be of any importance. Maybe you could check in and see if they are even interested in being a part of the meeting (too many unnecessary meetings can create disengagement).

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Practical Idea: Pair yourself with your opposite

Example 👇

One of the best ways I have personally experienced growth in my career is to pair with the person that is “opposite” of you.

Pairing introverted and extroverted communication styles within an engineering team can be highly beneficial. Such pairings can create a dynamic synergy where each individual's strengths complement the other's weaknesses. By bringing these contrasting styles together, teams can harness a diverse range of perspectives and approaches, leading to more comprehensive problem-solving and innovative solutions. This dynamic synergy not only enhances the quality of work produced but also cultivates a supportive and inclusive team culture where everyone's contributions are valued.

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How to approach 👇

Finding the people “just like you” and getting comfortable working with them only will keep you from unlocking the power of team dynamics.

This “how to” is very simple. Find your communication opposite, learn from them, work with them, and see what happens. You can volunteer for project support, suggest team pairings for knowledge transfer, or solicit feedback from them. There are many ways to connect. Do it, your future self will thank you.

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Practical Idea: Produce advocates

Example 👇

In the pure sense of showing your skills, being visible, and getting those higher up in the organization to talk about you (hopefully for the better), quiet engineers have less chances for influence. I’ve seen this happen a lot. That engineer that is highly skilled and proficient at their job, but doesn’t seize those chances (or is aware of them) to influence those managers and leaders above them.

You can increase your influence by doing the above practical approaches, as well as by gaining advocates.

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How to approach 👇

This is a continuously evolving activity at work. You need to treat everyone as if they are a potential advocate of yours. You never know who will turn out to be your voice in meetings or other conversations.

However, people won’t just speak up because you show up to work and do your job. You have to give people a reason to advocate for you. Completing assignments for people and building up some trust will go a long way, but actually showing your interest in taking on new responsibilities and talking with people about the business, company goals, and what you could do to contribute more will encourage others to think of you.

These activities will give you another opportunity to be visible within the company when people start to drop your name in conversations when discussing future work, candidates for other positions, or simply giving you praise when the time is appropriate.

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Recap: Going forward

Exposure within your company (and the industry for that matter) is critical to career growth, especially as you move further and further along. Time spent is not the deciding factor for a great career, it’s what you do with that time.

Forming great relationships and allowing other people to formulate a good perception of who you are, what you contribute, what you are capable of, your strengths, your weaknesses, your defining attributes and character traits is of high importance.

Don’t let a quiet career of solitude land you in a place where one day you want more, but nobody really knows who you are and opportunities have passed you by.

The Impactful Engineering Project's purpose is to bring awareness, access, success, and mentorship to all new and aspiring engineers. But it doesn't stop there. What we talk about on this podcast applies to seasoned engineers as well.

The community that will be built from this project has the potential to change the lives of everyone who is a part of it. We sincerely hope to reach and help as many people as possible. Your participation will bring the project to life.

Podcast Episode 37: Quiet Engineers