I tripled my salary and became a senior director at Uber in 6 years. Here's the 3-step strategy I used to break out of middle management.

Madan Thangavelu.

Courtesy of Madan Thangavelu

• Madan Thangavelu became a senior engineering director at Uber in six years, leading 530 engineers.
• Proactive problem-solving and management skills propelled Thangavelu's career in tech leadership.
• Mutual trust with managers and strategic timing were crucial to his rise at Uber.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Madan Thangavelu, a 39-year-old senior director of engineering at Uber from Mountain View, California.