I think lots of amazing software engineers (SWE) overlook one of the most impactful contributions they can make to the success of their teams and their products, something that makes them indispensable.

SWEs have a remarkable skill of instructing computers to achieve amazing things. But often, there are stakeholders (PMs, BD, Analysts) who are also responsible for success of the product. Being an accessible bridge between software and stakeholders is what truly sets you apart.

I had the fortune of studying at @IITKanpur and working at @GoldmanSachs & @Google, places that signal intelligence and I have met the smartest people I know there. But time & again, I have seen brilliance go unappreciated due to ineffective communication with their audience.

Knowing how to deliver just the right amount of information packaged in the right form is not talked about enough. People care more about the "why" & the "what" rather than the "how" & rightly so. In business, your value is directly proportional to the value you bring to others.

Understanding how to explain the impact of your work in accessible ways to a wide range of audiences with different technical skills is something every SWE should learn in their career.

This is something that is picked up by most competent leaders in the industry. Most of my reviewers in performance reviews have highlighted and appreciated this aspect of my work.

To sum up, in addition to writing code and documents, learn to explain your work to people. Especially, how it affects them & how it makes their life easier in the most direct of ways possible.

Understand and appreciate that people view things with different lenses and making the optics right for them requires customisation and a great engineer learns how to get this right.