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Hello Reader,

I spoke with an old friend last week. He told me he spent 4 years as a senior engineer watching less experienced engineers get to the next level ahead of him.

His designs were cleaner. His solutions were faster. His technical reviews were thorough.

But he kept getting the same feedback: "You need to be more visible and strategic"

He thought that meant talking more in meetings.

He was wrong.

What he lacked was influence at work

The Real Problem

Here’s what actually happens when you lack influence as an engineer:

You wait until your analysis is perfect before sharing it.

Meanwhile, someone else frames the problem, sets the constraints and aligns the stakeholders.

By the time you present your solution (even if it’s objectively better), the decision is already made.

Your idea doesn’t lose because it’s wrong, It loses because it arrived too late.

The Shift That Changed Everything

I discovered something that transformed my career:

Influential engineers don’t start with solutions. They start with problem ownership.

Here’s what this looks like:

A project proposal drops in Slack. Most engineers wait to be assigned tickets.

The influential engineer types: Before we jump to solutions, are we optimizing for speed or system stability?

These lead to very different solutions.

That’s it.

One question asked early.

That question reframes the entire discussion. Now you’re shaping the solution space before anyone implements any solution.

Why This Works

When you determine how the problem is defined, you influence which solutions get considered.

You’re not waiting for permission. You’re not being political. You’re clarifying the actual problem before the team wastes time solving the wrong thing.

This doesn’t require authority.

It requires timing.

Your Action Step This Week

Pick one upcoming decision at work.

Don’t wait until you have the perfect solution.

Instead, ask a clarifying question about the problem definition in the first 24 hours.

Examples:

What’s the primary constraint we’re solving for here?

What does success look like in 6 months vs 6 weeks?

Are we treating this as a temporary fix or a long-term foundation?

These questions position you as strategic, not just technical.

They give you a seat at the table where decisions actually get made.

Try it once this week.

You’ll be surprised how one early question changes the entire conversation.

See you next Monday,

Kayode

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