Starting from Nothing: Bootstrapping Teams as a Staff Engineer

Discover how staff engineers can excel as trailblazers in product development during this 25-minute conference talk from StaffPlus New York 2024. Learn from Lawrence Jones' experiences as he shares insights on transforming a broad directive like "build a new product" into a concrete, actionable plan. Explore the challenges and strategies involved in bootstrapping teams, from initial project scoping to building and inspiring a capable team. Gain valuable knowledge on creating a compelling vision, navigating leadership dynamics, and driving projects forward from within. Drawing from his roles at GoCardless and incident.io, Jones offers practical lessons on what works and what doesn't when starting from scratch. Examine the delicate balance between technical expertise, problem-solving, and business acumen required for success in these high-impact roles. Reflect on whether the true measure of success lies in the product created or the team built along the way.