Engineering Strategy Guide — Influencing Strategy in a Top-Down organization without authority

A guide for non C-suite engineering leaders

Table of contents

1. Top-down and Bottom-up culture
2. Do not try to change the culture
2.1. What to do instead
3. Execution eats strategy for breakfast
3.1. What to do instead
4. The meetings you’re not part of
4.1. What to do instead
4.2. You have other channels
5. The network
6. Iterate fast, keep stakeholders updated, and accept it will take a while
7. Embrace conflict
8. Stakeholder management
9. Take risks when you’re about to resign

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We are starting 2025, and it is the best moment to take the right time to design a coherent engineering strategy. Yet, having the right high-stake conversations, talk about the elephan in the room, and make though decisions isn’t easy.

That’s why I’m writing this posts, to help you though your strategist journey. At the same time, I provide services to facilitate those conversations, and co-design your company’s engineering strategy within a week with a dedicated workshop.

Know more at https://aleixmorgadas.dev/services/engineering-strategy. Feel free to reach me via DM, LinkedIn, or at hello at aleixmorgadas.dev

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A constant challenge the people I coach face is the not having the authority to design and drive the engineering strategy. They are part of a top-down organization, and unable to set the right resources for the strategy to succeed.

During the coaching sessions, we work which kind of activities, artifacts, and including skills are needed to drive an engineering strategy without authority.

In this article, I share some of those practices, and techniques for middle engineer leaders, like engineering managers or staff engineers, to overcome the key obstacles to influence the organization for good.

1. Top-down and Bottom-up culture

A completely bottom-up culture is one where people and teams feel empowered to make their own decisions, and champion the initiatives they think are important. But, when those initiatives need support, approval, and like they slow down.

On the other hand, in a top-down organization, initiatives happen on the top, and they are communicated, and any change on the direction needs higher-ups approval.

A top-down organization can be transparent, share all the decision in front-doors in Slack channels, or all-hands sessions for example. Yet, those decisions are made by a closed group of people in the top of the hierarchy, the top-management team, or the C-suite.

If you are reading this article, there is a high chance you are facing challenges to lead your own initiatives without higher ups approval, or even worse, your efforts being constantly overruled.

You’re experiencing:

👉 Decisions happen in meetings that you are not part of.
👉 You follow the top-down decisions, propose an action plan, but then overruled without being part of the conversation.

So, let’s see how can you influence the strategy in this adverse context.

2. Do not try to change the culture

Aiming to enhance a company culture without authority is a recipe for burnout. Instead, adapt to it.