The Unspoken Power of Writing in Engineering Leadership
Level up your influence and leadership presence with the power of words
When I think about the core skills of an engineering leader, it is easy to default to the obvious: technical strategy, execution oversight, managing people, prioritizing work, unblocking teams. But there's one skill that quietly amplifies all of these—one that doesn't show up on most job descriptions and rarely gets discussed in performance reviews:
Writing.
In a world obsessed with speed, Slack (or whatever Teams is doing) threads, and meetings, it’s easy to overlook the role of writing. But writing is a force multiplier. It sharpens thinking, better spreads context, and scales leadership in ways no standup or sync ever could.
In this article, I want to explore why writing matters so much, how great engineering leaders use it, and practical ways you can improve your written game—even if you're not a “writer.”
Before we start, a clarification
Writing is writing. Writing is not shorthand or bullet points. It is fully baked thoughts written in complete, grammatically correct sentences. There are paragraphs of text. The reader is guided through a situation/problem/decision and provided everything that they need to understand.
Writing is work. Writing takes time. Writing takes practice. Because…
Writing Is Thinking
Let’s start with the foundational truth: Writing is thinking made visible.
When I ask a tech lead or engineering manager to “write it down,” it's not to create a process or paperwork. It’s to help them think more clearly. A messy proposal in your head often reveals contradictions, gaps, or unspoken assumptions once it hits the page.
When I get a Decision Document or an Options Analysis that is just a table with a few words in each box, I know that the situation hasn’t been fully thought through.
The act of writing forces structure. It asks you to answer:
What are we doing?
Why does it matter?
What’s at stake if we don’t?
What trade-offs are we making?
Who needs to be involved or informed?
Writing exposes clarity—or the lack of it.
Great engineers debug systems. Great leaders debug thinking. And the best debugger you have is a blinking cursor and a blank page.
The Leverage of Written Communication
As a leader, you’re no longer the primary builder—you’re the amplifier. Your output is not measured in lines of code but in the velocity and clarity of others.
Writing gives you leverage:
A clear one-pager beats five scattered meetings.
A thoughtful team charter aligns new hires for months.
A strong design doc prevents a dozen misguided sprints.
A crisp weekly update protects your team from executive thrash.
A compelling vision memo inspires your organization and gives purpose to the work.
Good writing scales. It travels without you. It keeps communicating long after you’ve gone home.
What Kind of Writing Matters?
You don’t need to write a novel. But here are the kinds of writing that I’ve seen elevate engineering leadership at every level:
1. Vision & Strategy Docs
These are the “why” behind the work. When teams lose motivation or direction, it's often because the vision is fuzzy. Writing it down makes it real. It also reveals whether it's inspiring—or just a vague slogan.
2. Technical Proposals
A well-structured proposal lays out options, risks, and recommendations. It invites collaboration and builds confidence that a leader is making thoughtful choices.
3. Weekly Updates
Done well, these are more than status reports—they're a tool to share momentum, surface blockers, and tell a coherent story about where the team is headed. They also save you from getting pinged for constant updates.
4. Feedback & Performance Reviews
Giving clear, actionable, and fair written feedback is a skill that distinguishes strong managers from average ones. Writing helps you avoid hedging or rambling, and it creates a lasting record that your report can reflect on.
5. Narratives and Memos
Amazon is famous for its six-page memos, but the point isn't the format—it’s the depth of thought. Writing forces a level of rigor that can’t be matched in a PowerPoint. It’s the best tool for aligning senior stakeholders without relying on “charisma” or air cover.
Editor’s note: I was skeptical of the “No PowerPoint” ethos when I joined Amazon, but was blown away (in a good way) at how true it was. This is a very real part of Amazon’s operating model.
Why Writing Gets Overlooked
There are a few reasons why writing isn’t more widely embraced in engineering leadership:
“I’m not a writer” syndrome. Many engineering leaders shy away from writing because they don’t see themselves as writers. But you don’t need to be eloquent or poetic—you need to be clear. Clear beats clever, every time.
We’re addicted to meetings. It feels faster to hop on a call or fire off a message. But the speed is deceptive. Meetings create alignment debt. Writing creates clarity that persists.
Writing takes time. Yes—and that’s the point. The effort you put into a 30-minute write-up often saves hours of confusion, debate, or rework down the line.
How to Get Better
You can build writing muscle just like any other skill. Here’s a lightweight approach:
1. Start a Writing Habit
Set aside 30 minutes a week to write something with intention. It could be a team update, a reflection on a leadership challenge, or a note to your future self. Don’t worry about publishing—just write.
I have a standing block on my calendar to write a weekly summary that I send up my management chain. I can pump this update out quickly because I’ve done it so many times. I know and understand the language I want to use and the story I want to tell. I am disciplined in my approach, and after doing them for years (week in and week out), this weekly writing is as much a part of my workflow as anything else.
2. Use Prompts
Staring at a blank page? Try these:
“What’s a decision we’re avoiding right now?”
“What’s the real risk in this project?”
“What’s something I’m seeing that others might not be?”
“What coaching should I be giving this person today?”
3. Edit for Clarity, Not Perfection
Great writing is great editing. Trim fluff. Replace jargon. Use simple words. If a sixth grader wouldn’t understand it, revise it.
That doesn’t mean make it short for the sake of brevity - that leads to vague bullet points. The point is not to write like David Foster Wallace. You aren’t trying to harm the reader.
4. Steal Good Structures
Look at well-written docs, status updates, or memos from other leaders. Notice how they’re structured. Is there a clear problem statement? A strong point of view? Logical flow? Mimic what works.
5. Ask for Feedback
Just like code, writing improves with review. Ask a peer: “Did this make sense? Was anything unclear or missing?”
What Writing Has Done for Me
Some of the most impactful moments of my leadership career weren’t in meetings or town halls—they were written.
An overview on how to give a great software demonstration has now traveled with me across three companies and improved the skills of many engineers.
A product vision document helped land me a significant career break because I painted a picture of what could be possible with the right investment.
(As previously referenced) My weekly status update document to my management chain communicates a sense of ownership and control that allows them to worry about others.
Writing has helped me scale my thinking, sharpen my leadership voice, and even grow my career. People remember what you write. They reference it. They share it. And often, they promote you because of it.
Final Thoughts
Writing isn’t just a nice-to-have skill for engineering leaders—it’s a superpower.
It brings clarity to chaos. It scales your influence. It makes you a better thinker, a sharper communicator, and a more trusted leader.
If you’re looking for one skill to level up in 2025, make it writing. Your future self—and your team—will thank you.