When ‘That’s Not My Area’ Costs You Money

I’ve been conducting engineering interviews for years, and one response consistently raises red flags: ‘That’s not really my cup of tea.’ It usually comes up when candidates are asked about customer interaction or cross-functional collaboration.

This phrase represents a deeper issue—engineers building walls around their expertise instead of seeking broader understanding. As someone who previously captained a warship with 20 people, I know firsthand that everyone must master skills beyond their specialty for the entire system to function.

The Changing Skills Landscape

The market is shifting rapidly. Communication consistently ranks as a top-desired skill in hiring reports (LinkedIn, 2024), often surpassing technical expertise. This trend accelerated with AI’s rise—while developers now use AI tools for up to 42% of their coding tasks (Sonar, 2026), the ability to interpret results and make strategic decisions remains uniquely human.

What was once a premium skill is becoming commoditized: the act of typing code. The real value now lies in judgment—deciding what to build, what to skip, and how to allocate resources effectively.

Why This Matters for Business Leaders

The siloed mindset creates hidden costs:

  • Lost innovation: Solutions often emerge at intersections between disciplines
  • Increased time-to-market: Requests get stuck in handoff loops
  • Lower customer satisfaction: Lack of ownership and follow-through
  • Missed strategic opportunities: Failing to see the bigger picture

The engineer who limits their understanding is signaling they haven’t adapted to this new reality.

Rebuilding a Culture of Collaboration

We inadvertently created this environment through:

  • Remote-first policies that replaced spontaneous hallway conversations with asynchronous digital channels
  • Interview processes emphasizing individual technical performance over teamwork
  • Organizational structures prioritizing specialized roles over problem ownership

The solution isn’t to force everyone to become generalists, but rather cultivate a culture where engineers actively seek understanding beyond their immediate domain—where asking questions and exploring new areas is valued as essential professional development.

What’s your experience with cross-functional collaboration in engineering teams?