The document discusses how to care for and feed software engineers as team members and individuals. It emphasizes listening, respecting, encouraging, recognizing, and empowering developers. Specific tips for technical leaders include allowing developers to do their jobs, handling non-development work, being available but not overbearing, prioritizing one-on-ones, emphasizing quality over quantity, avoiding frequent task-switching or meetings, shielding the team from challenges, and giving the team autonomy to grow. The overall message is to trust developers' judgment, allow freedom for growth through failure, and remain a learner along with the team.

1. The Care and Feeding of Software Engineers
Heather Downing@quorralyne

9. –Bill Gates
“Success is a lousy teacher.
It seduces smart people into thinking they can’t lose.”

11. –John C Maxwell
“People buy into the leader before they buy into the vision.”

12. Leadership is a
MUSCLE

13. What Developers Want from Leaders
Good leaders that make them feel safe
(safe to fail, to confide in, believes in you)

14. What Developers Want from Leaders
Have vision and higher purpose for their work
(provide education, opportunity, growth beyond ourselves)

15. What Developers Want from Leaders
Flexible and empathic during personal challenges
(No hard and fast rules, people before profits)

16. LISTEN

17. RESPECT

18. ENCOURAGE

19. RECOGNIZE

20. EMPOWER

21. A Technical Leader will…
Listen
Respect
Encourage
Recognize
Empower

23. This is how
AMAZING
DEV TEAMS
are built

24. The Care of:
JUNIOR DEVELOPERS

27. The Care of:
MID-LEVEL DEVELOPERS

30. The Care of:
SENIOR DEVELOPERS

33. The Feeding of:
THE INTROVERT

35. The Feeding of:
THE EXTROVERT

37. The Feeding of:
THE OPTIMIST

39. The Feeding of:
THE PESSIMIST

41. The Feeding of:
THE SENSITIVE

43. The Feeding of:
THE BOLD

45. The Feeding of:
THE VISIONARY

47. The Feeding of:
THE DOWNHEARTED

49. How to treat your
team as a whole

50. Development Lead Tips
Allow developers to do their jobs
Handle non-development work needs
Be moderately responsive and reachable
Make regular one-on-ones a priority
Emphasize quality code over quantity or velocity
Avoid task switching (multiple projects, two many interruptive meetings)
Be the shield for your team when challenges arise

51. –Stephen Haunts
“Trust your teams judgement. You may need to step
into make decisions and priority calls, but this will be
on the information provided by your team. If you get
this right, you should have a good autonomous and
self directed team.”

52. Takeaways
Give away control and create opportunities for others to grow
Drive for autonomy, mastery, and purpose
Allow your team to fail - through failure we learn
Teach others and emphasize you are learning as well
It’s OK to not know everything

56. STAY CURIOUS.SLIDESHARE.NET/QUORRALYNE | GITHUB.COM/QUORRALYNE
Heather Downing
@quorralyne | quorralyne@gmail.com | www.quorralyne.com