I'd argue that if you're a staff engineer, you need to be adept at navigating the "political nonsense." A director/VP should be able to think of you as at least

I'd argue that if you're a staff engineer, you need to be adept at navigating the "political nonsense." A director/VP should be able to think of you as at least as senior and capable of handling ambiguity and being self-directed as any manager.