June 15 - 19, 2024
TechLead Conference
Online

TechLead Conference 2024

Event about leadership and seniority

The conference is about leadership and seniority in teams. 20 engineers, managers and HR from leading companies will give talks on topics as careers and soft skills. We'll discuss how to become more senior and get more influence in the company, get a promotion and achieve what you want in your career.

This edition of the event has finished, the latest updates of this Tech Conference are available on the Brand Website.
From Engineer to Leader: A Workshop for First-Time Tech Leaders
144 min
From Engineer to Leader: A Workshop for First-Time Tech Leaders
Workshop
Andrew Murphy
Andrew Murphy
Transitioning from an individual contributor role to a leadership position, especially in the fast-paced tech industry, is hugely challenging. Most new leaders don't receive any training at all in the first 10 years of their new responsibilities.Our comprehensive workshop is designed to assist new and emerging tech leaders in understanding their new roles and gaining the skills to make them confident, happy and effective leaders.
Maximizing Your Potential in Tech Interviews: The Three Cs to Success
21 min
Maximizing Your Potential in Tech Interviews: The Three Cs to Success
To maximize your potential for success in tech interviews, it is crucial to have a well-planned approach. The three C's to interview success are connections, confidence, and communication. Connections play a significant role in job search and personal branding is important. Building a personal brand and making connections can have a significant impact on your career. Content creation, confidence building, effective communication, and preparation are key for success in technical interviews.
Managing Ourselves Managing Each Other
26 min
Managing Ourselves Managing Each Other
The Talk discusses the challenges of dealing with people in software development and engineering. It offers debugging tools for human interactions, emphasizes taking ownership of one's actions and reactions, and recognizing power dynamics. The importance of setting boundaries for work-life balance and privacy at work is highlighted. Strategies for managing emotions and dysregulation are provided, along with techniques for repairing relationship ruptures. The Talk concludes by emphasizing the importance of relationship debugging tools and continuous personal growth.
Managers Are From Mars, Devs Are From Venus
111 min
Managers Are From Mars, Devs Are From Venus
Workshop
Mo Khazali
Mo Khazali
A Developer’s Guide to Communicating, Convincing, and Collaborating Effectively With Stakeholders
It’s a tale as old as time - collaboration between developers and business stakeholders has long been a challenge, with a lack of clear communication often leaving both sides frustrated. The best developers can deeply understand their business counterparts’ needs, effectively communicate technical strategy without losing the non-technical crowd, and convince the business to make the right decisions. Working at a consultancy, I’ve both failed and succeeded in architecting and “selling” technical visions, learning many lessons along the way.Whether you work at a product company, are a consultant/freelancer, or want to venture beyond just being a developer, the ability to convince and clearly communicate with stakeholders can set you apart in the tech industry. This becomes even more important with the rise of GenAI and the increasingly competitive developer market, as problem-solving and effective communication are key to positioning yourself.In this workshop, I’ll share real-world examples, both good and bad, and guide you through putting the theory into practice through dojos.
How to Turn Engineering Work into a Promotion
29 min
How to Turn Engineering Work into a Promotion
The Talk discusses the challenges of work recognition in the software development field and provides practical tools to get your work noticed. It emphasizes the importance of setting specific goals and communicating them with your manager. The concept of a 'brag bank' is introduced as a way to store positive feedback and achievements. The Talk also explores the idea of job hopping and when it may be beneficial or detrimental to your career. It concludes by encouraging positive thinking, creating a career plan, and being kind to oneself.
The Art of Interviewing People or How to Identify Senior Talent
22 min
The Art of Interviewing People or How to Identify Senior Talent
The Talk discusses the process of interviewing and identifying senior talent. It emphasizes the importance of assessing soft skills and qualities like communication, leadership, mentoring, and teaching abilities. Evaluating problem-solving skills involves observing the candidate's reaction and their focus on the actual problem, rather than the specific answer. The Talk also highlights the significance of ownership, autonomy, emotional intelligence, and the ability to handle failure. Finally, it mentions the importance of concluding the interview by asking questions to assess the candidate's fit and career stage.
Not Your Everyday Tech Lead: What Does It Mean To Be TL in a Lean Software Company?
20 min
Not Your Everyday Tech Lead: What Does It Mean To Be TL in a Lean Software Company?
The Talk discusses the role of a tech lead in a lean software company. It highlights the importance of understanding the distinction between a senior developer and a tech lead. The speaker shares their experience of focusing on immediate issues rather than addressing root causes, leading to burnout. The Talk emphasizes the mentor model of management and the shift in perspective it brings. It also explores the principles of lean and problem-solving techniques in a lean company. The role of a tech lead is to implement solutions, standardize processes, and create optimal conditions for developers.
Tech Leadership Is More About People Than Tech
27 min
Tech Leadership Is More About People Than Tech
Tech leadership is more about people than tech, with a focus on understanding and working with people. Developing soft skills is essential for tech leaders, as most tech problems are people problems. Continuous growth requires celebration, reflection, and learning from mistakes. Listening is a key soft skill that impacts other skills, and resolving conflicts requires reflection and open communication. Building trust and openness in offshore teams involves creating a feedback culture and understanding the remote environment. Taking initiative, understanding strengths, and finding support are important for career growth. Overcoming challenges, sustaining momentum, and taking time off for improvement are crucial. Books and resources on leadership are available on LinkedIn.
Content Creation for Developers
18 min
Content Creation for Developers
Today's Talk highlights the importance of technical content creation for developers and the benefits it brings. It emphasizes the value of becoming a thought leader and the opportunities it opens up in one's career. The Talk also provides practical tips for getting started with content creation, such as tailoring content to the audience, using storytelling techniques, and providing value to the readers. It further emphasizes the need for quality and consistency in content creation and the importance of sharing personal insights and experiences. Overall, the Talk encourages developers to step out of their comfort zone, share their knowledge, and grow both professionally and personally through content creation.
Tiny Things That Throw You Into Chaos: Engineering Leader’s Way Out of Daily Havoc
25 min
Tiny Things That Throw You Into Chaos: Engineering Leader’s Way Out of Daily Havoc
This Talk discusses the challenges faced by engineering leaders and provides strategies to overcome them. It emphasizes the importance of organizing, prioritizing, delegating, and maintaining focus. Techniques such as email organization, task prioritization using the Eisenhower matrix, and delegation to scale work are highlighted. The Talk also emphasizes the need to protect and schedule focus time to avoid overload and fragmentation. Overall, the Talk provides practical advice for engineering leaders to navigate the chaos and enhance productivity.
Out of the Frying Pan, Into the Fire: A Manager's Guide to Helping New Developers Thrive
35 min
Out of the Frying Pan, Into the Fire: A Manager's Guide to Helping New Developers Thrive
Workshop
Andrew Coleburn
Andrew Coleburn
Onboarding to a new project can be difficult, no matter your background and experience. But it can be especially challenging for new developers straight out of school or a coding bootcamp. Drawing on personal experience as a bootcamp grad and JavaScript consultant, this talk will discuss tips and strategies for managers to help the new developers on their teams get their bearings in an unfamiliar codebase, so they can make more of an impact, faster!
Scaling Fast – Engineering Lessons From ~15 Years of Tech Startups
27 min
Scaling Fast – Engineering Lessons From ~15 Years of Tech Startups
Tech growth is a Red Queen's race. Scale the business, team, and tech. Beware of the S-curve. Business growth fuels promotions and engineering challenges. Engineering teams get involved early in the process to develop the best solution.
Leading With Passion & Balance
21 min
Leading With Passion & Balance
In this Talk, the speaker discusses the importance of effective leadership and maintaining well-being. They present a prioritization framework for task management, using the analogy of three types of threads: glass, bead, and rubber. Glass threads represent critical tasks that require personal attention, while bead threads can be managed collaboratively. The speaker emphasizes the need for delegation and empowering team members to take on leadership roles. They also highlight the importance of self-care and mental health in avoiding burnout.
From Senior Developer to Manager and Back: The Journey of Returning to Coding
19 min
From Senior Developer to Manager and Back: The Journey of Returning to Coding
The Talk explores the transition from software developer to team leader, highlighting the different responsibilities and challenges involved. It discusses the role of an engineering manager in organizing team work, making top-level technical decisions, and representing the team externally. The challenges and satisfaction of being a manager are also explored, with an emphasis on the importance of the team's success and growth. The Talk concludes with tips for new managers and the possibility of returning to an engineering role.
Mindset: You vs Your AI
26 min
Mindset: You vs Your AI
The Talk discusses the mindset and operation of AI assistants, the influence of thoughts on our experience, the impact of subconscious thoughts on well-being, and strategies for improving mental health both individually and in a team setting. It emphasizes the importance of mindful consumption, self-care, and fitness for maintaining good mental health.
Refactoring Mindsets: Prioritizing Mental Health in Software Development
20 min
Refactoring Mindsets: Prioritizing Mental Health in Software Development
Today's Talk focuses on the importance of mental health in software development and engineering. The pandemic has highlighted the need to raise awareness and address mental health issues in the tech industry, which has seen a significant impact on productivity and well-being. Common mental health issues in the industry include anxiety, depression, burnout, and imposter syndrome. Solutions include promoting work-life balance, empathy, upskilling, mindfulness, and regular breaks. Maintaining mental well-being involves being involved in tech communities, setting realistic goals, embracing criticism, finding support, and prioritizing sleep.
Cognitive Load and Your Development Environment
19 min
Cognitive Load and Your Development Environment
Cognitive load is the amount of available memory and cognitive resources a person has, and cognitive overload occurs when the load exceeds what can be sustained. Various factors, including disabilities and external factors like stress, can affect cognitive load. Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) impact cognitive load differently, and instructional design can help reduce cognitive load for individuals with these conditions. Understanding cognitive complexity in code, optimizing the development environment, and minimizing distractions are important for managing cognitive load. Multitasking increases cognitive load, and using organizational systems, automation, and constant learning can help mitigate cognitive load and improve productivity.
Listen Better, Lead Better
7 min
Listen Better, Lead Better
Active listening is a powerful tool that can improve relationships and foster growth. The BREW framework provides guidance for effective communication, emphasizing the importance of being present, reflecting, encouraging, and withholding judgment. Active listening involves understanding what is not being said and creates trust and empathy. By practicing active listening and using the BREW framework, leaders can become more effective in their roles.
Conducting Interviews and Interviewing in the Age of AI Tools
29 min
Conducting Interviews and Interviewing in the Age of AI Tools
This talk explores interviewing in the age of AI, discussing the history of interviewing for software engineering and the skills needed for future interviews. It examines the challenges and frustrations of the current interview process, the role of AI in interviews, and the integration of AI in the development process. The shift in interview focus towards collaboration skills and intuition is highlighted, as well as the importance of adapting to the changing landscape and navigating junior interviews with AI. Effective interview strategies with AI are also discussed.
The Power of a Second Brain in a Developer's Workflow
8 min
The Power of a Second Brain in a Developer's Workflow
The concept of a second brain, a curated list of digital notes, helps enhance memory retention. Building and maintaining a second brain as a developer is beneficial for contextual discovery and quick information recall. Any tool can be used to create a second brain, starting with self-contained information and gradually forming a web of related content. Active learning through a second brain is enduring and helps retain information that cannot be physically recalled.
Adapting to the Future of Work in Tech
28 min
Adapting to the Future of Work in Tech
The Talk explores the history and evolution of software engineering, highlighting key figures and concepts that have shaped the field. It emphasizes the importance of understanding AI-assisted programming and how it can be used effectively. The future of programming is envisioned as models writing code based on defined behaviors, with a gradual shift towards solving human problems. The impact of AI on coding raises concerns about dependence and the need for responsible consumption. Guardrails, awareness, and customization are crucial in technology consumption.
The Art of Influence: Empowering Developers' Team Collaboration
10 min
The Art of Influence: Empowering Developers' Team Collaboration
You are all influencers already in your teams and in your companies. If we learn how to master this skill, you can really achieve what you want. Collaboration is key to successful software development. Shift your thinking from old thinking to growth thinking. Effective collaboration requires more than just technical skills.
Love Your Maintainers
19 min
Love Your Maintainers
Open source is a decentralized software development model driven by passion. Maintainers give their time for free, out of passion. Even a small act of rudeness can burn people out. Start with a detailed search when asking for help in open source projects. Providing detailed information in issue reports is crucial. Creating reproducible repositories with minimum details is the best way to get a fix. Follow up on filed issues and show kindness and gratitude towards maintainers.
Rebooting Joy: Harnessing Playfulness and Hobbies to Redefine Work in the Tech World
6 min
Rebooting Joy: Harnessing Playfulness and Hobbies to Redefine Work in the Tech World
Reignite your passion for tech by incorporating playfulness and hobbies into your daily grind. Organize mini hackathons, engage in pair programming, and dedicate time for curiosity hours. Helping others and participating in hack-a-thons are great ways to stay excited. What's one hobby or playful activity that could reignite your passion?
From Chaos to Clarity: Leveraging RFCs in High-Performance Environments
10 min
From Chaos to Clarity: Leveraging RFCs in High-Performance Environments
Mateus Palino from Quintana Roo presents From Chaos to Clarity, Leveraging RFCs in High-Performance Environments. Quintana Roo aims to improve delivery quality and reduce design time through RFCs. They have created a group called RFCs Advisors and focused on empowering focal points, training managers, and creating tools, guides, and processes. By implementing tailored training initiatives and optimizing design review meetings, they have increased the number and quality of RFCs, resulting in better solutions deployed.
The Entanglement of Concerns between People and Software Development
8 min
The Entanglement of Concerns between People and Software Development
The Talk explores the entanglement of concerns between people and the software they develop, emphasizing the importance of considering people and teams instead of just coding. It highlights the time constraints faced by developers and the potential for code optimization to improve understandability and usefulness. The Talk also discusses the significance of revamping outdated software and embracing continuous improvement in software development. It concludes by emphasizing the interconnectedness of software builders, thinkers, users, maintainers, and payers, and encourages the development of user-friendly software systems that adapt to change and consider the needs of all stakeholders.
From Business Buzzwords to Meaningful Change: Measuring and Improving Engineering Productivity
26 min
From Business Buzzwords to Meaningful Change: Measuring and Improving Engineering Productivity
Efficiency and productivity are buzzwords in the tech industry, but they have been misused and misunderstood. Leadership roles in tech are evolving, and understanding engineering productivity is crucial. Effectiveness is about achieving goals and customer adoption, while efficiency is about doing things right with fewer resources. Prioritizing effectiveness, productivity, and efficiency can help businesses achieve their goals. Understanding company goals, aligning strategies, and involving the team in defining success metrics are key to driving productivity and improving team performance.