Lately the industry is obsessed with the word agency and I cannot believe I am using it because I used to call this hunger. The memes have got me too. But the idea is real and it matters more than anything else now that AI is integrating into how we work. Agency is about refusing to be a spectator and being driven towards progress.

The first thing is bias towards action. In life and in code there are no rules and no time for theoretical debates unless you are breaking the law. Shipping defeats debates and meetings because you can edit a bad piece of code but you cannot edit a blank one. Momentum creates clarity and analysis paralysis creates nothing.

The second thing is to solve problems and not tech. I used to think being an engineer was about the stack but it is about the user and the best engineers I know are obsessed with understanding user struggles. If you start with a solution you build complexity and if you start with a human problem you find the simple tool that actually works.

The third thing is that your ego is overhead. I once wrote that startups are run by high-performance individuals with zero ego and I still believe that. Being right is cheap and getting to right together is the work. Clever code is operational risk and clarity is seniority.

The fourth thing is to manage your energy and not your clock. I have been burnt out a few times in my career and it came from a lack of impact I was making more than from overwork. If you cannot articulate your impact when you are not in the room then your impact is effectively optional. Your code does not advocate for you but people do.

The fifth thing is that high agency is the only currency that matters. The magic I felt at companies came from realizing I had no limitations and finding a way through when the path was not clear. Do not wait for a promotion or a design doc to tell you what to do.

The sixth thing is to write code that someone can fix at 2am. Being clever is being selfish and you should optimize for comprehension. Simplicity really is the ultimate sophistication.

Most people go to a job but when you join the right team and have the right mindset you have a life where you discover your limits and your passions. Do not be a spectator.

Yell at me on Twitter if you disagree. I am @troysk704.