Episode 105 - You’re Good at Your Job. Here’s Why That’s Not Enough

The Impactful Engineer Project - Mentorship, Career Growth, and Personal & Professional Excellence for Aspiring Engineers

Episode 105: You’re Good at Your Job. Here’s Why That’s Not Enough

In this episode of The Impactful Engineer Podcast, Jake and Steve go deep on the real career tactics that separate average engineers from top performers. No guests. No fluff. Just two seasoned professionals pulling back the curtain on what actually moves the needle—especially early in your career.

From learning to advocate for yourself to mastering meetings and building real career equity, this conversation is packed with brutally honest insights that most people wish someone told them sooner. This isn’t about doing more work—it’s about playing the right game, building the right habits, and becoming someone people trust with real responsibility.

Key Topics Covered:

• Why waiting for recognition is a career killer—and how to show your value proactively
• Knowing when it’s time to leave: how to assess toxic or stagnant work environments
• The hidden cost of saying yes to everything (and how it leads straight to burnout)
• What actually gets you promoted—and why technical skill is only part of the equation
• How to own coordination meetings, gain respect, and avoid endless RFIs
• The mindset shift from “doing the job” to “running the project”
• Why checklists, systems, and templates are the cheat code to flawless execution
• How to build internal equity—not just a resume—with each project you touch
• Using client feedback, visibility, and intentional follow-ups to grow career capital
• The value of knowing how your company actually makes money—and aligning your work accordingly

Actionable Steps:

• Stop working in silence—start explaining your decisions and linking them to client success
• Build and refine personal checklists for recurring tasks or design processes
• Run your meetings with clear agendas, defined outcomes, and next steps
• Identify three high-impact templates or calculators you use often—and formalize them
• Schedule a 30% design review with peers to pressure-test ideas early
• Start asking business questions: how does your company win work? What’s the profit driver?
• Keep a running lessons-learned doc—and revisit it before each new project
• Track wins that matter (cost saved, timeline protected, errors prevented) and make sure people know
• Carve out time to turn your work into reusable systems before moving on

Who This Episode Is For:

• Early- and mid-career engineers trying to break into leadership roles
• Individual contributors who feel overlooked or undervalued
• Project engineers, PMs, or tech leads trying to manage teams and outcomes better
• Anyone who wants to stop spinning their wheels and start building real momentum

Why It Matters:
You can do great work and still get passed over. In today’s fast-paced engineering world, visibility, prioritization, and proactive leadership are just as important as technical skill. This episode shows you how to shift from just doing your job to becoming the engineer people rely on to move things forward—fast, accurately, and with impact.

Where to Listen:

• Spotify
• Apple Podcasts
• Google Podcasts
• Or wherever you get your podcasts

If something in this episode struck a chord, share it. With your team, your boss, your mentee—whoever needs to hear it. The Impactful Engineer grows by word of mouth, just like the best careers do.