The Manager of One

You hit a blocker. The API documentation is unclear. The database migration is stuck. The designer hasn't finished the mockups yet.

Some engineers stop. Wait for the next standup. Wait for someone to unblock them. Wait for direction.

Others pivot. Can't do the API integration? Switch to a different feature. Database migration stuck? Work on the frontend. Designer behind? Build a rough version with placeholder UI and keep moving.

That second group manages themselves. They identify their own bottlenecks before they become crises. They track their own progress without being asked. They know the difference between being blocked and being inconvenienced.

No manager wants to micromanage a senior engineer. The job they actually want to do is point you at a problem and trust it's getting handled. When you free them from managing you, something shifts — you earn autonomy. You get to work on what matters because you've proven you can figure out what matters without being told.

Owning your work means knowing when to ask for help and when to find a workaround. It means surfacing the right problems at the right time rather than waiting for someone to notice. Engineers who develop this earn trust faster than almost any other way — and trust, more than title or tenure, is what determines what you get to work on next.