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Last week I had the privilege of participating in a multi-disciplinary internal panel discussion with five other Microsoft employees. We shared our experiences as individual contributors in the technology industry, discussing the ups and downs of our journey to be better understood and make a meaningful impact on product.

The conversation left me feeling energized and reassured, knowing that I’m not alone in navigating the complexities of this industry. While this may be an unconventional topic for my newsletter, I wanted to share some of the key takeaways from our discussion in the hope of providing value to you. 💝

Below are five practices that I strive towards in my work, and that seem to be common among individual contributors in various fields. I hope you find them useful in your own day to day.

Growing as a manager VS an individual contributor

As we progress in our careers, whether as managers or individual contributors, we begin to notice certain similarities. We first notice how our projects become increasingly more complex, with broader implications that can affect entire systems. We’re also expected to act as role models and trusted advisors to other leaders around us, often spanning across many teams. And we have more opportunities to coach and mentor those at earlier stages in their careers.

Despite these similarities, there’s a prevailing belief in the tech industry that one must become a manager in order to advance. But the truth is, the skills we accumulate as individual contributors are often irrelevant to the role of a manager, which is why many ICs struggle to make the transition.

Personally, I stumbled into management as a result of exciting new opportunities, rather than actively seeking out those roles. While I learned a lot from the talented people I managed, I often found myself yearning for the rare minutes and hours to design. Looking back, it was clear that my passion lied in crafting the architecture, strategy, and tangible design artifacts. 🤓

1. Embrace ambiguity and adaptability 🧘🏼

It goes without saying that the ability to handle ambiguous challenges is critical to advancing in any career, whether as a manager or not. However, from my experience, managing a team and handling issues collectively can create a sense of comfort and strength in numbers. For those venturing out independently, challenges can seem insurmountable, but it’s important to remember that you are not alone. Always rely on your network and make an effort to consistently strengthen connections beyond your immediate team.

Embracing ambiguity can be a big obstacle for designers seeking to advance to the next stage. While many people enjoy the wide-open world of ambiguity, they often lack the willingness to adapt and pivot quickly. If you care about the quality of your work, it’s natural to find yourself in that situation. I’ve found myself there before, getting caught in the details and delaying a shift in direction.

To overcome this challenge, remember to stay open-minded and focus on starting with small steps. As you progress, embrace the design process but remember to challenge assumptions, which can help uncover new insights and possibilities. And don’t be afraid of experimenting and failing along the way. Afterall, failure is a natural part of the process that helps you learn and grow. Ultimately, these things will help you advance what is in front of you while also building confidence for the next challenge.

2. Prioritize the success of others 🎉

When you’re part of a team, it’s often assumed that your primary focus should be on advancing the success of your teammates. While this is definitely true for managers, it’s arguably even more critical for individual contributors (ICs). As you progress in your career, it’s essential to recognize that your success is not measured solely by your own accomplishments. In fact, it becomes increasingly important to be comfortable with your own accomplishments being seemingly invisible.

If you’re used to being acknowledged for your own achievements, look for ways to gradually let go of that, and remember that the energy you spend on amplifying the potential of others is well worth it in the long run. You’ll quickly realize that this approach is more fulfilling and meaningful for both you and those around you.

Note that by adopting this mindset means that you won’t always be working directly with your team. Instead, you’ll be spending energy connecting with others across your company, bringing valuable insights and learnings back to your own team’s work. This is, in fact, my favorite part of the job.

3. Seek to finetune your communication skills 📣

In a leadership position, you will depend on your communication skills at every turn you take. Whether it is for collaborating more effectively, sharing ideas, building relationships, or getting buy-in on the solutions you’re offering. For an individual contributor, the ability to communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing, is as essential as the actual skill you’re stellar at, be it design, code, writing, etc.

For me personally, it’s a joy to talk about ideas and go deep into the nuances and details. What I realized over the years is that some of the people I think are most effective at this aren’t always talking in meeting. Instead, they practice active listening. Being patient and listening carefully to what others are saying, while also asking clarifying questions are the best ways to ensure you have understood things correctly, and what will ultimately set you up for success when communicating things back to an audience.

Being a visual designer at my core, I personally love to communicate ideas with images, animations and diagrams. If visual aids are your strength, lean on that as well because your audience will always appreciate different ways of understanding an idea.

4. Continuously learn 🧠

Growing in your career raises the expectations for your ability to think strategically and bring visionary ideas to your work will only increase. To meet these expectations, you must be comfortable with challenging old ideas and biases and embracing new ways of thinking.

If you’re in the fields of art and design, this may come naturally to you. Otherwise, here are some things you can do:

Set learning goals and experiment with new things. This can feel overwhelming on top of all your existing responsibilities, so make it a habit to learn a little bit at a time.

Listen to podcasts, read books, and attend conferences and workshops to stay up to date on things. It’s easy to stick to the rhythm of your day to day. Get out, meet new people, learn new things and bring them back to those you work with. The busier I get, the more I tend to overlook this one. Try to prioritize it!

Lastly, ask for feedback. Seeking constructive feedback on how you work with others can help you improve and learn from your mistakes. This may seem like an obvious one, but being open to feedback can help you identify blind spots and make necessary adjustments to advance in your career.

By continuously learning, experimenting, and seeking feedback, you can build the skills and mindset needed to think strategically and bring the kind of visionary ideas that your peers are looking to you for.

5. Bring authenticity and passion 💖

I like to think that true authenticity goes far beyond staying true to your values. For me, it goes hand in hand with offering moments of true empathy and vulnerability. Being authentic means that you embrace your failures just as much as your successes.

For an IC that has to lead with influence as opposed to authority, it is important to bring much more than simply your knowledge and skill. You will need to bring with you a passion that is contagious and which hopefully can inspire others to believe in your ideas.

While all of these may be invaluable skills to have, the level of maturity for each organization and team in embracing individual contributors will always vary. This means that being a successful IC in a traditional organization construct will undoubtedly require the support of a manager or leader(s) to carve out the space and opportunity for you. This is especially true in design where the path from A to B is rarely linear, and you may not have a lot to show for your work until things start to click into place.

Thank you to all of you in leadership that see the value in the impact of ICs across your organizations and are intentionally prioritizing it! 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

Please chime in with your thoughts too:

ICs, what has worked for you in the past?

Managers, what are some habits you’ve witnessed in the past from successful ICs on your team? What are some suggestions you would give to help other managers create an incredible environment where ICs can thrive?