From Geek to Star #7 - The Art of Strategic Communication

If you missed the previous episodes, you can access them online here.

🚀 Beyond Good Work: Making Yourself Heard

By now, we’ve seen that many engineers reach a point where technical skills alone are not enough to grow (and we detailed in Newsletter #3 why good work often goes unnoticed for many engineers).

• You may deliver strong solutions.
  

• You may fix difficult issues.
  

• You may build efficient systems.
  

But you may still feel like your contributions aren’t fully seen, or that decisions are made without your input being considered - and one consequence is that you generally feel you are not compensated to your right value.

Often, what separates engineers who grow into high-impact contributors is not just their technical mastery but how well they communicate that mastery to others.

🎯 Why The Sun Tzu Quote Matters for Us as Engineers

Sun Tzu’s words may feel very far from software, data or cybersecurity but they are actually surprisingly close:

“If words of command are not clear and distinct, if orders are not thoroughly understood, the general is to blame.”

If you see yourself in the shoes of the general who wants to rally people around you on your ideas, whether they are technical colleagues, non technical colleagues or leaders, these words of Sun Tzu may be understood as:

• If your technical explanation isn’t clear to your manager, they may make the wrong decision but it’s you who failed to translate.
  

• If your project or technical risks aren’t communicated in plain business language and do not relate enough to your business context, leadership may misunderstand your work’s urgency.
  

• If your solutions’ benefits aren’t visible to other teams, they may undervalue your contribution.
  

👉 Clear, strategic communication is part of leadership, even for technical experts: remember, showing leadership is not reserved to managers.

You are responsible not only for doing excellent work but also for making sure others can fully understand, trust, and support that work.

🙊 Communication as a Core Trait of the T++ Engineer

You may recall, in Newsletter #4, we introduced the idea of becoming a T++ engineer: a well-rounded professional who brings multiple layers of mastery across different traits.

Among these traits, communication is one of the most underestimated superpowers.

A T++ engineer is not just technically sharp.

A T++ engineer is able to:

• Make complex ideas understandable.
  

• Translate technical work into business impact.
  

• Build trust and influence with peers, managers, and leadership.

You may know the 3 wise monkeys who cover their eyes, ear and mouth: it covers its mouth not because it never speaks but because it speaks no evil. As T++ engineers we should do the same 🙂.

🛠 3 Simple Habits to Start Practicing

1️⃣ Prepare headlines, not just reports.

Before presenting your work in your next Team meeting with your managers and colleagues, write down:

• One sentence: “What we did.”
  

• One sentence: “Why it matters for the business.”
  

• One sentence: “What decision or support I need.”

You can do the same in sprint demos where the product owner and sometimes stakeholders are present, or during project reporting meetings. The “why it matters for the business” consideration is good both for you as an exercise to really identify what business contribution your work is having and for your non technical colleagues to understand in their own terms what you are bringing to the table.

2️⃣ Use analogies.

Non-technical stakeholders understand stories better than architectures:

• “Giving high level consistent architecture guidelines is important. Just like how Singapore is architected with a long term vision to ensure efficiency of the city compared to some other cities without plans and becoming over congested”
  

• “Think of our security model like multiple doors protecting access, not just one big lock.”

Even better, make stories related to the industry you are working in.

3️⃣ Speak briefly, then check understanding.

In meetings:

• Share your point in 60–90 seconds, observe people as you speak (you can often spot easily people who don't get your point as they frown to concentrate, people who agree with a nod… or people who don't listen 😐)

• Pause.

• Invite clarifying questions:  “Was I clear enough or would you like me to explain differently?”, “Does that help clarify the trade-offs?”

🔬 Why This Matters for Your Growth

• You don’t need to be a natural public speaker.
  

• You don’t need to “sell” yourself.
  

• You simply need to make your work visible, accessible, and relevant to those around you.

When others easily grasp the value you bring, recognition follows naturally.

This is one of the essential skills that sets well-rounded engineers apart as they progress.

I invite you to write the 3 habits above if you find them useful on a small post-it that you just stick on your laptop, as a reminder until you do it naturally - then throw the post-it away. 

🙏 I’d Love to Hear From You:

• What aspects of communication feel the hardest for you?
  

• Have you seen situations where better communication made the difference?

Just reply — I read every message.

Also, follow me on LinkedIn for short reflections and updates between newsletters. Don't hesitate to interact on my posts to engage meaningful (even if short) exchanges!

✨ Stay curious, stay connected!

From Geek to Star by Khang | The Way Forward