Developing Your Leadership Skills toward Principal Engineering

Becoming a principal engineer requires more than technical skill; it's about influence, communication, and strategy. Success means enabling teams by shaping culture, Sophie Weston explained in her QCon London talk, "The Principal Engineer's Path."

Weston argued that leadership skills can be developed anywhere - not just at work. She suggested thinking about the things you do outside of your job where you can learn and practice useful leadership skills. Skills from life outside work, like sports, volunteering, or gaming, can add a valuable perspective and build leadership potential.

The "Broken Comb" Approach to Career Growth

Weston championed internal promotions and "squiggly careers," allowing role shifts, including in and out of management, to support long-term growth toward senior roles in software development. She suggested bringing your full skill set - your whole self - to work: "Don't underestimate how skills that you learn in other parts of your life can help you in your career journey."

This concept of bringing your whole self to work extends beyond psychological safety. Weston noted that she learned valuable leadership skills through being a parent. These skills are equally valuable as the ones you learn through actually doing your job. In some ways, they are more valuable because they represent more teeth on your "broken comb":

• Negotiation skills
• Time management
• Multitasking
• Stakeholder management
• Adaptability and resilience
• Influencing rather than controlling

Building Your Professional Network

Growing in tech isn't just about what you learn; it's about who you meet, Weston emphasized. Getting involved in the wider tech community can expose you to new ideas, open doors to opportunities, and connect you with people who inspire and challenge you.

She suggested getting involved in the wider tech community through attending meetups and conferences. They provide learning opportunities and are great places to meet new people: "Networking is a really important tool in building your career. A broad and strong professional network can be a great source of career advice, job and other career opportunities, and even emotional support."

Becoming involved in a meetup or a conference, as a volunteer or as an organizer, can be rewarding. You can work with amazing people who you wouldn't normally collaborate with and learn new skills that you wouldn't necessarily get the chance to learn at work. Organizing events can raise your visibility and supercharge your network.

The Power of Public Speaking

Volunteering in tech communities often means stepping outside your comfort zone. If you're ready for a challenge that will push you even further, public speaking might be the best option, Weston explained: "A lot of people think that public speaking is something that they will never have the ability or the confidence to do. To be quite blunt, I disagree."

Weston mentioned that she knows very few people - including those who speak regularly at events like this - who aren't naturally nervous about getting up and speaking in front of a roomful of people. For most of us, that's normal, she said. Being good at public speaking is so much more than being naturally outgoing; it's a skill that needs to be learned and it's a skill that anyone can learn.

Public speaking builds expertise and credibility. Sharing your knowledge helps both you and your audience grow, Weston said. It also strengthens communication skills. Learning to articulate ideas clearly makes you more persuasive in meetings, presentations, and leadership roles. And it boosts confidence and growth. Stepping out of your comfort zone is where real growth happens.

Creating Positive Feedback Loops

To become a principal engineer, you need to broaden your skill set beyond merely technical expertise; for instance, by getting involved in the wider tech community, and public speaking. Doing these things doesn't just add up, they multiply, Weston argued - each step feeds into the next: "To use some systems thinking terminology, you create positive feedback loops. Learning new things leads to meetups, going to meetups leads to speaking, speaking leads to organizing, and before you know it, you're at the very center of the communities that once inspired you: Contributing, leading, and shaping them."

You should do these things because they excite you, because they challenge you, because they make you grow, Weston said. Any career benefits that come from this are a byproduct, a happy side-effect; they're not the goal.

The Path Forward

The journey to principal engineering is about developing a holistic set of skills that extend far beyond technical expertise. It's about becoming someone who can influence culture, communicate effectively, build strong networks, and lead with confidence - whether that's in the workplace, the community, or even at home.

The key is to start somewhere. Whether it's volunteering at a local meetup, practicing public speaking, or simply bringing more of your whole self to work, each step builds momentum toward becoming the kind of leader who can shape the future of technology organizations.