2. Why
another
meetup?
● Provide approachable topics to
newcomers in software development
● Give a platform for people to hear from
underrepresented groups in tech
● Learn and grow from each other (and
there are no dumb questions!)
● Networking in a casual, non-threatening
environment
3. Where to find
us? ● NashDev Slack (#codecademy):
https://nashdev.slack.com/
● Discord:
https://discord.com/invite/codecademy
5. First Steps For A Rising Associate Engineer
● Volunteer for bug tickets, especially ones no one else wants to take.
● Learn at least one part of the code base really, really well. Make
yourself the domain knowledge expert.
● Be your stakeholders’ favorite engineer (but don’t be a pushover).
● Review as many PRs from more senior members of your team as you
can and ask lots of questions.
● Senior engineers want you to write good code, and most of them like
talking about code, take advantage of it
● If something needs doing and it isn’t getting done, make it your job.
6. Classes Of Leadership
1. Team Leadership (Everyone needs this one)
The leadership that you use in day-to-day work, locally in your team.
1. Organizational Leadership (Mostly for managers)
The leadership within an organizational hierarchy.
1. Stage Leadership (AKA Superficial Leadership)
Leadership from a stage that you use to inspire and unite.
7. Team Leadership is Culture-Building
● Culture is essentially the set of behaviors
that evolve within a group of people.
● A key aspect of evaluating someone for a
senior role is what they contribute to
those behaviors.
● Set a good example and really buy-in to
your team’s rituals and existing culture.
● Be one of the people who pulls your
colleagues together.
● Invest personally in your team.
● Organize a Meetup
● Start in a club
● Start in the company blog
● Start in tech talks/brown bag talks
● Run a hackathon
● Be the person that your stakeholders want on
their project
● Own part of the codebase,
socialize how it works on
your team
8. Organizational Leadership is Priority-Alignment
● Engineers often scoff at “politics” as
frivolous and unnecessary. You will never be
good at it if you don’t take it seriously.
● Organizational Leadership is less about
making every decision and more about
alignment, getting everyone pointed in the
same direction.
● Before you try to get anything done,
understand what the other involved parties
want, then convince them something that
they want
● Start working on relationships with
stakeholders as early as you can, even if you
aren’t in management yet. Be their favorite.
● The main reason people walk away from the
negotiating table is a dearth of chairs. Do
your research and make sure that you know
everyone who will want a say in your work.
Seek them out and include them.
● Include sacrificial lambs in your first drafts,
so you can “give”
something to the other
parties without
compromising your idea.
9. Stage Leadership is Vision-Sharing
● Get Comfortable on stage (practice makes
perfect)
● Cultivate your ideals and opinions, talk about
them with friends/mentors/colleagues so
you know how to communicate them
effectively without the stress of public
speaking.
● Remember that your experience at a
company isn’t isolated. Talk to your
colleagues like you share something with
them (because you do).
● Being visible as a “stage leader” can be a
boon for getting promoted. Your manager
has to do less convincing if their bosses
already know you.
● When choosing what to say, try to lay out a
vision for what you want for your
team/company/project and let your audience
follow you there. Show don’t tell.
● Either practice until you have your talk down
pat, or practice very little.
The gulf between those
two approaches tends to
feel rote and unnatural.
14. “The Big Five” 1. Poise
2. Eye Contact
3. Projection and
Enunciation
4. Stage Presence
5. Rhetoric
15. Poise 1. Keep your hands out of your
pockets.
2. Don’t cross your arms either
in front of you or behind your
back.
3. If you take a step, take more
than one and mean it.
4. If you aren’t moving, plant
your feet.
5. Don’t lock your knees.
16. Eye Contact 1. Try not to look at your
slides or your computer
more than absolutely
necessary. (note cards
are your friend!)
2. Look at more than one
place in the audience.
3. You don’t need to make
eye contact, look over
shoulders.
17. Projection and
Enunciation
1. Stand up straight.
2. Breathe!
3. Don’t swallow your words.
4. Slow down when you speak.
5. Focus on hitting all of the
consonants.
6. If you have a mic, keep it at
least six inches from your
mouth.
18. Stage Presence 1. “The amount of space you take in
your audience's mind.”
2. Poise, Eye Contact, Projection
and Enunciation
3. Feel what you say! Get excited!
4. When something goes wrong,
“It’s all part of the plan”.
5. Remember that almost every
audience will be rooting for you.
19. Rhetoric
Have a goal!
1. Be Specific.
2. Focus on the audience.
3. Focus on concrete
actions that you want
the audience to take.
Do Not:
● Convey that I like cheese.
Probably Do Not:
● Make the audience like cheese.
Also Do Not:
● To Shout everything I know about
cheese at the audience until I pass
out.
Do:
● Convince the audience to make their
own cheese.
20. Added Bonus:
Slides
1. Give an outline at the
beginning.
2. Don’t be afraid to repeat
yourself in the slides.
3. Less is more!
4. No text walls!
5. DON’T READ YOUR SLIDES!
6. Avoid Jargon and acronyms.
