One thing that makes a Good Engineer into a Rockstar Engineer is leverage. High performing Engineers know how to:

• Identify high-leverage tasks
• Prioritize them above others
• Deliver solutions for them fast and with quality

High-leverage tasks are things that have high impact and value, for minimal input. Think of how a lever can be used to raise and move a heavy weight with minimal force as input. That's exactly the type of problems we want to solve.

If you are an Engineer, who is responsible in your team for identifying, prioritizing, and delivering high-leverage work? Is it your Engineering Manager? Product Manager? Project Manager? Do you really want someone else to make the decision on what your precious time is best spent doing? Hell no. It's you. You have to be accountable and responsible for doing high leverage work. It's too important a decision to delegate.

How do I find High leverage work?

Your direct manager should probably be your first place to look. Flat out ask them - "Is there something on your plate you can't get to, that I can do?", and evaluate their items for leverage. But it should not stop with your manager.

Socialize with the ideators in your company

Some like to go heads down and execute a direction, others like to creatively solve problems. Both types are needed in a company. Go find the creative types and talk to them. They might be Designers, UX Researchers, Product Managers, their jobs might vary. It's worth befriending and talking to them to find opportunities that excite you to work on.

Talk to your teammates to identify Quality of Life work

You don't have to look far for ideas. Talk to your teammates about what really irritates them about your codebase or product. Look for opportunities others overlook because they're focused on something else. Sometimes, one well timed and placed refactor can return its value ten fold. Find those.

Dare to be audacious

Big ideas need larger than life champions. Remember that you're a professional. You're educated, experienced, and have a wealth of experiences and knowledge to call on. You deserve to solve the big, game-changing problems. Sometimes it's better to just jump in, and ask forgiveness later than permission now.