As part of the yearly performance review process, we are supposed to describe what we do and how we add value to the organisation. I am a software engineer by training and once prided myself on being a pretty decent programmer. At this point in my career, I am in a fairly senior position on the technical ladder at a large innovation driven tech company. This means that I now write a lot less code than most people in my team. The dual-ladder career system allows for formal career advancement of employees in technical roles without having to necessarily change into management roles - but still expects similar levels of strategic impact. So what do I actually do? When moving through levels of seniority, my focus has shifted from writing code to reviewing code, then from writing design documents to commenting on other people's designs. I still remember succinctly the advice of a more senior colleague, that the key to getting promoted to the next level would be by becoming comfo...