Based on what I have seen in my career, motivating engineers to adopt change—especially when you don’t have direct authority—starts with understanding their pain points. Take the time to listen and learn about their current challenges, then frame the new tools or processes as solutions to those problems. When engineers see a direct benefit, they’re much more likely to embrace the change. Leading by example is equally important. Demonstrate how the change improves your own workflow and share small wins, so they can see the value in it firsthand.

Making the transition easy is crucial. Provide clear documentation, training, or quick walkthroughs, and be available to offer support. Engineers will be more motivated to adopt a new process if it integrates smoothly into their existing workflows. Another key approach is fostering ownership. Involve engineers early on by gathering feedback, asking for their input, or having them champion the change for the team. When they feel like they have a stake in the change, they’re more likely to take ownership and advocate for it themselves.

Finally, clear communication about the “why” behind the change is essential. Share how the new tools or processes align with broader team or company goals. When engineers understand the vision and see the long-term benefits, they’ll be more inclined to support the shift. Celebrating early adopters and quick wins helps maintain momentum and encourages others to give it a try. By combining these strategies, you can achieve quicker wins while building the trust and rapport needed to foster a culture of continuous improvement.

Sr Staff AI Lead @ Udemy

Nishanth Gandhidoss

From my experience, advancing to L6 and beyond isn’t just about technical depth but also about developing skills that have a broader impact on the organization. Here are a few key skills that often take time to master:

- **Strategic Thinking**: Transitioning from tactical problem-solving to aligning your work with long-term company goals.
- **Influence Without Authority**: Driving cross-functional collaboration and influencing peers without relying on formal power.
- **Prioritization and Focus**: Mastering the ability to focus on high-impact work while managing competing priorities.
- **Mentorship and Leadership**: Guiding junior engineers and fostering a collaborative, high-performing team environment.
- **Ownership and Accountability**: Taking initiative and driving ambiguous, high-impact projects to successful completion.
- **Communication at Scale**: Effectively articulating ideas to different audiences, from engineers to executives, to ensure alignment.

A great onboarding document serves as both a roadmap and a collaboration tool for new hires and their managers. It should clearly outline expectations, resources, and key contacts while encouraging the new hire to actively engage by adding their notes, reflections, and questions. Start with a warm welcome and an overview of the team’s mission, vision, and immediate goals. Then, detail role expectations, such as deliverables for the first 30/60/90 days, areas for skill growth, and team norms. Include links to resources, documentation, and tools, as well as a list of key stakeholders and their roles. Finally, encourage the new hire to personalize the document with their thoughts and questions to spark meaningful discussions with their manager. Regularly review and update the doc together to ensure alignment and continuous improvement.

### Template:

**Welcome to the Team**\
\[Personalized welcome note from the manager/team\]

**Your Role**

- Key deliverables for the first 30/60/90 days.
- Areas for growth and strengths to leverage.

**Team and Tools**

- Team norms: \[Communication methods, meeting rhythms, etc.\]
- Tools: \[Key software, guides, and training materials.\]
- Dev Environment Setup: \[Cover end to end dev setup\]
- On Call: \[Roles and Responsibilities\]

**Key Contacts**

- Stakeholders: \[List of team members and their roles.\]
- Sister Teams: \[List of teams and team members and their roles.\]

**Your Notes and Reflections**

- Questions or areas for clarification.
- Personal observations or suggestions.

**Follow-Up and Feedback**

- \[Schedule for check-ins and progress reviews.\]

It's completely normal to feel some doubt, especially when feedback from different sources is so mixed. Sites like Blind and Glassdoor often attract extreme opinions, and negative experiences can be overrepresented. Instead of taking it all at face value, look for consistent themes. do specific issues pop up repeatedly, or is it more general negativity?

Since your friends at the company enjoy it and have similar work styles, that’s a strong positive indicator. If possible, you might try reaching out to others in different roles or teams to get more balanced insights. LinkedIn can help you connect with current employees or alumni with similar backgrounds.

Think about your own deal-breakers—work-life balance, culture, growth opportunities—and weigh them against what you’ve heard. Since you feel drawn to this company and can picture yourself being happy there, those personal vibes are worth paying attention to. Compatibility with your team and manager often matters more than generalized feedback, so trusting your instincts here could be the best guide.

It sounds like you're in a challenging situation, balancing career, location, and family priorities. From my experience, these decisions are always tough and highly personal.

IMO, If your primary motivation for moving back to the UK is a better quality of life for your kids and education, that's a valid reason. However, since you currently have a secure role with strong career growth prospects (potential promotion to Principal Engineer), you might want to leverage that stability to build more financial savings while continuing to explore opportunities in the UK. Sometimes, it’s about positioning yourself for the right opportunity rather than rushing into one that doesn’t meet all your needs. Given that you’ve already moved once for personal reasons, taking a remote role might allow you to bridge the gap between your career aspirations and family needs without compromising too much financially. It could also give you the flexibility to be patient until the right UK-based role comes along, one that aligns better with your experience and financial goals.

Ultimately, waiting a bit longer might be wise, especially if you’re on the path to a promotion and can accumulate savings. This way, you’ll be in a stronger position to make the transition when the ideal opportunity presents itself.

During a conversational AI project, I noticed that our LLM struggled with real-time user interactions, failing to handle context shifts and ambiguous queries effectively. While it performed well in static benchmarks, live data showed high drop-off rates and negative user feedback. I quantified that improving context handling by even 10% could significantly boost user retention and engagement, translating to a multi-million dollar revenue opportunity.

### Solving the Problem

I proposed a dual approach of fine-tuning the LLM using reinforcement learning from human feedback (RLHF) and dynamic prompt engineering. We built a pipeline to adjust prompts based on conversation history and captured real-time interaction data to iteratively improve model performance. This required close collaboration with data scientists and engineers to ensure adaptability and responsiveness in user interactions.

### Gaining Buy-In

To secure buy-in, I framed the issue as a barrier to scaling the product. I proposed a phased pilot with a small user group to mitigate risk, emphasizing the business value of reduced churn and increased user engagement. This clear alignment with business outcomes made it easier to get leadership support.

### Outcome

Our efforts led to a 40% improvement in the LLM's handling of context, driving a 20% increase in user retention. This not only enhanced our conversational AI product but also established a foundation for scaling future Gen AI initiatives. The main takeaways were the value of continuous model adaptation, strategic prompt engineering, and framing solutions in terms of business impact.

## **Expanding on High-Impact Projects in Tech**

**1\. Strategic Alignment:** The most impactful projects are those that directly align with a company's strategic goals. For example, if a company aims to expand into a new market, projects focused on developing new products or services tailored to that market would be highly valued.

**2\. Quantifiable Results:** Projects that deliver measurable outcomes are often more impactful. This could involve increasing revenue, reducing costs, improving customer satisfaction, or enhancing efficiency. For instance, an engineer who develops a new algorithm that significantly improves search engine results would likely be considered for a substantial reward.

**3\. Cross-Functional Collaboration:** Projects that require collaboration across multiple teams or departments often have a broader impact. Engineers who can effectively work with designers, product managers, and other stakeholders to bring a product to market can demonstrate their versatility and leadership skills.

**4\. Risk Mitigation:** Projects that address significant risks or challenges can also be highly valued. For example, a security engineer who develops a new system to protect customer data from cyber threats would be seen as a valuable asset to the company.

**5\. Innovation and Creativity:** Projects that involve innovative solutions or creative thinking can be particularly impactful. Engineers who can develop new approaches to existing problems or introduce groundbreaking technologies can differentiate themselves and increase their compensation potential.

**6\. Company Culture and Values:** Some companies may prioritize specific types of projects that align with their company culture or values. For example, a company that emphasizes sustainability might reward projects that reduce environmental impact.

**7\. External Recognition:** Projects that receive recognition or awards from industry organizations or publications can also enhance an individual's reputation and compensation potential.

**In addition to the project itself, the individual's role and contributions within the project are also crucial factors.** For instance, an engineer who takes on a leadership role, mentors other team members, or provides technical expertise can demonstrate their value and increase their compensation potential. By focusing on projects that align with strategic goals, deliver quantifiable results, and demonstrate innovation and leadership, individuals can significantly increase their impact and negotiate for higher compensation in the tech industry.