Some of the best ideas on my team came from people who almost never spoke. Learning to recognize those gifts changed how I build and lead.
I’m Edward Romero, an engineering leader and hands-on builder. For years, my answer to almost everything was “Don’t worry, I got it.” And it would always get done. But once I became a manager, doing it all myself stopped working.
One engineer on my team barely spoke in standups. Asking her more questions didn’t help. Asking what she’d cooked that week did. Once she started talking, I saw it: great ideas, and work she’d done beyond her role without telling anyone. She had a leader in her. I paired her with a mentor who’d walked the same path, and not long after, she was leading a team.
I grew up in Venezuela and moved to the US at 13 without speaking English. Building alone was easier than being understood. That habit helped me get things done, but leadership asked something different of me: not just what I could build, but what we could build together.
Sometimes helping means stepping back so people can find the answer themselves, and letting go of perfect, because someone else’s way might be better than yours.
Everybody has a gift. It’s on each of us to grow our own, and to help the people around us grow theirs. That’s what I write about at Skip the Escalator: finding your voice, leading people well, and building with others in tech. I’m interested in how we stay connected as technology changes the way we work and relate to one another.
Your path doesn’t have to look like theirs.
Along the way, I’ve spent 16+ years building software at IBM, Greenlight and Fanatics, been a startup CTO, and earned 3 U.S. patents.
I live in Los Angeles. Most Sundays you’ll find me at Mass, and most other days I’m writing in a coffee shop with an audiobook queued up. Whether you’re building a product, a team, or yourself, reply to the newsletter. I’d love to hear what you’re building.
