
Latest
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Engineers grieve a job that no longer exists
The best engineers are burning out, and it’s not because of the workload.
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Staff engineers shift from solving problems to shaping systems
Become unnecessary, not indispensable.
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How to grow your engineers into great leaders
Clear signals, habits, and opportunities that help individual contributors grow into effective managers long before the title changes.
Editor’s picks
Engineering leadership is not just about code
If you’re looking to move into an engineering leadership position, you’ll have to do more than brush up on code!
How to find and become a great engineering mentor
Mentoring is a great way to boost your career. Here’s everything you need to know about getting a mentor, and becoming one yourself.
How to navigate unexpected role changes
At one point or another, you may have to face an unexpected role change. It might not be what you want, but there are ways to make it work.

Berlin • November 9 & 10, 2026
Close the gap between what leadership expects and what’s actually possible at LeadDev Berlin.
Essential reading
Learning to enjoy the career progression journey
Reaching a management position in the tech industry is hard work. It’s important to remember to enjoy the journey and celebrate victories big and small along the way.
On our Career development playlist
There and back again – A cautionary tale about entering middle management
Explore the realities of middle management through a journey of promotion, stress, and self-reflection, offering guidance on finding the right leadership path.
Unconventional paths in tech: Leveraging your strengths to find your place
n this talk, Mitra Raman will take a look at the many paths that engineers can take on their leadership journey.
Career vectors for technical leaders
Mix and match skills to become the best technical leader that you can be.
The path from Director to CTO: How to follow it, or how to mentor it
This talk is aimed at both aspiring Chief Technology Officers and those who are in a position to mentor future CTOs. Explore the journey from a Director of Engineering role to a CTO, focusing on the skills and experiences needed for this transition and how experienced leaders can guide others on this path.
Essential soft skills you need to succeed as an engineer
There is a big focus on technical expertise in software engineering – but soft skills are equally as important. Which ones are crucial to master and how can you do this?


The festival for modern engineering leadership
New York • September 15 & 16, 2026
More about Career development
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The reality of being a software architect
What every software architect should be thinking about in 2026.
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A model for growing the next generation of developers
AI is forcing a major rethink of entry-level career paths.
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64% of female developers say AI is accelerating their careers
Yet women are 25% less likely to use AI tools.
Top Career development videos
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Built to flex – Strengthen your org to expect change
In this talk, Heidi Helfand shares some practical tactics on how to look at your teams today, and grow them into a stronger org that can bend and flex with challenges instead of crumble.
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Demystifying databases for developers
Why is database management and performance important in engineering orgs?
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Python Powered People – teaching non-technical professionals to code
Charlie Beeson talks about our bespoke training initiative called develop, which is designed to bring Python and other critical technical skills to the masses, including resolute technophobes, and how, just 18 months after launching, over half of our firm now use Python – including compliance officers, communications professionals, operations analysts and lawyers!
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Things I got wrong when preparing for my first Engineering Manager role
Ferit Topcu shares his own experiences in this transition, the errors I made, and how I overcame them.
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Growing future leaders: nurturing Team Leads as a path to managerial succession
Anna Kurylo shares the learnings from growing two team leads within her org, where the change ended up being a win-win-win situation for her, the teams, and the new team leads.
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Learning is a core capability of software teams; here’s how to measure it
Sorrel Harriet shares what she has learned. Specifically, talking about how she has been measuring learning culture and using the data to uplift learning capability in different organizations and teams. While still an experiment in progress, the methods and tools she’s using are mature enough to be shared, so as to invite commentary and feedback from fellow practitioners.
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Managing in hard times: How to shift from growth to stability
David LaMothe covers some of the key actions a manager should take to make sure their team gets through difficult times. Whether it’s managing expectations, focusing on the essentials, or celebrating small successes, you will leave with the essential toolbox you need to weather the storm.
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Making work (and life) less stressful by making better decisions
Nicky Thompson’s talk is aimed at engineers, tech leads, managers, humans – anyone who makes decisions. Making better decisions is a skill that you can improve on, and this talk will introduce some ways to do that.