Growth in a downturn

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If you’ve been involved in one or more such discussions, you aren’t alone. It has been a rough year for tech, and especially our leaders – our Staff+ ICs and our engineering managers. We are reeling from the after-effects of rapid growth and zero-interest-rates, and have been forced into survival mode. If hyper-growth is marked by spending more to make more, what does building for enduring growth look like? What are key pivots and strategies needed to effectively navigate such different times?

In this talk, we’ll cover:

• Major differences in economic appetites during a downturn vs. an upswing and contextualizing that to our engineering day-to-day
• How to internalize the demands of this changing macro, and adapt your leadership style in an authentic, empathetic way
• How to drive focus and balance between tactical short-term engineering needs, and strategic long-term innovation with compounding returns
• How to drive clarity and bring your teams along the change management journey through a scarcity mindset and reduced coordination overhead
• How to reinforce a culture of diverse perspectives, psychological safety and high trust

As a manager or lead developer, this talk will give you a primer for building adaptability and resilience into your leadership toolkit and leading your teams through chaos and into sustained, enduring growth.