Becoming a Lead or Staff Engineer doesn’t mean having all the answers—it means knowing how to ask better questions, how to support others, and how to make smart decisions in ambiguity. In this talk, I’ll share what I’ve learned (and unlearned) stepping into IC leadership roles: how to grow influence without managing people, how to admit “I don’t know” with confidence, and how to use AI tools to save time, focus in where it's important and scale my impact. It’s less about being the expert, and more about enabling others—and yes, that’s the job.