Your manager keeps saying "be more strategic," "product sense" - they probably can't tell them apart either.

Navigating corporate bullshit - product sense vs. strategy vs. execution vs. technical depth vs. leadership judgment. Bullshit, yes. But knowing the difference can decide your next promo.

At some point in your career, you get senior enough for your 1-1 feedback to start including what, in professional circles, we call “corporate bullshit” - product sense, strategic thinking, leadership judgment et al. Then the bullshit creeps into your perf expectations, your 360 feedback, and most painfully, your “reasons not to promote.”

The Corporate Buzzword Breakdown

When someone says “be more strategic” and means “product sense,” you’re writing long-term vision docs when they wanted better prioritization calls on a 3-month horizon. Same words, different skills, wasted cycles.

Here’s a break down so you can optimize for the right one. Or at least ask your manager whether what they’re saying is also what they mean.

(click the gallery for an easy-to-view slideshow)

Why this matters

The scope of what’s expected from engineers is expanding (you should read this if you haven’t). But the vocabulary being used to describe it is sloppy enough that you can do everything right and still miss because you optimized for the wrong word.

So the next time one of these shows up in your perf review, do yourself a favor - ask which one they actually mean.