I am a Software Engineer and I am in Charge is a real-world, practical book that helps you increase your impact and satisfaction at work no matter who you work with.

Each of the 7 chapters has the following structure specifically designed to generate insight and move you to action:

Why it matters

A brief introduction to the chapter that offers questions for you to experiment with your current belief about the topic of the chapter.

For example, if you believe you can’t ask a colleague you admire to be your mentor because you think they’re too busy, then what could you do if you changed that belief?

What would you do if you thought that by not asking them you’re denying them the opportunity to pass on their wisdom?

The story

A fictional story following the protagonist, Sandrine, who left her company to get a higher-level role and found that despite the “promotion” everything still feels the same, the people around her are clueless.

In each chapter, Sandrine learns something from the people she interacts with that gets her thinking in a new way enabling her to take a different course of action.

Sandrine is not perfect though, she makes slip-ups, promises to change but goes back to old habits, plans for things a certain way only to discover it doesn’t play out that way—just like in real life.

What do we learn from the story

Here we talk about the lesson from the story, and ask you, the reader, what you will do with your new knowledge and insights.

The experiments

At the end of each chapter, there are 3 experiments for you to try. You can choose to do one or more of them to see what happens when you put yourself in Sandrine’s shoes.

Follow Sandrine on her journey to see for yourself how she solved her problems and increased her impact and satisfaction and in the process find a way to increase yours.

By the end of the book you’ll have learned:

• How your words influence your actions
• How to prosper from feedback
• How to set goals that inspire
• How to work with others to create a better solution
• How to use failure as a data point to inform your learning