At Level 3, you start shaping direction, not just following it. You help ensure that project plans, technical decisions, and team efforts align with evolving business priorities. You regularly translate between strategic goals and execution realities—bringing clarity to both through a mix of data, context, and communication. You are a key link between intention and implementation.
Key Behaviors
- Brings strategic framing to planning and design discussions
- Challenges work that's misaligned or drifting off course
- Helps others understand how their work connects to company goals
- Proactively surfaces risks to strategic focus or cohesion
- Partners with product, design, or leadership to refine priorities
Common Struggles
- May focus too heavily on goals at the cost of near-term delivery
- Can struggle to represent both business needs and technical constraints fairly
- Might over-identify with one perspective (e.g., team, product, execs)
Success Indicators
You know you're successful when you:
- Actively influence project direction to reflect strategic objectives
- Speak fluently about tradeoffs between business value and technical investment
- Bridge gaps between strategy and execution with clarity and credibility
- Help teams focus on what matters most—not just what's next on the list
Mindset Shift
From:
"Does this work align with our goals?"
To:
"How can I shape the strategy to be even more effective?"
Questions to Ask Yourself
- Where is our current strategy unclear or misaligned?
- What feedback loops are missing between execution and direction?
- How can I elevate context that's being missed in planning or decision-making?
Build These Habits
- 1Share strategic risks and opportunities early—not just when asked
- 2Build narratives that connect team work to broader outcomes
- 3Practice translating between business language and engineering context
Seek Feedback
- "Am I helping the team make better-aligned decisions?"
- "Where have I assumed alignment when I should have checked it?"
- "How well do I represent strategic priorities in cross-functional conversations?"
Signals You're Ready to Level Up
- You influence direction through insight, not just opinion
- Strategic language becomes part of your technical vocabulary
- You're trusted to connect the dots between execution and vision
Focus Summary
- Translate strategy
- Drive focus
- Align intention with execution
At Level 3, strategic alignment is about shaping the work and clarifying the why. You help everyone row in the same direction—and steer when needed.