Jim Holmes (@aJimHolmes) – Growing Into Leadership

Too many of our organizations across society have poor leadership. It doesn’t matter if we’re talking about the military, private sector firms, or the local Cub Scout pack. Great leaders help us get the most out of our teams and ourselves, not just at the high meta level, but during each day’s grind.

In this session we’ll talk about why you might consider stepping up into a leadership role (or evolving one you’re currently in), and what things about yourself you can leverage and improve upon. It’s also important to understand routes you can take to leadership. Most importantly we’ll talk about getting the job done on a daily basis so you can help your team be as awesome as possible.

You’ll leave this session with some questions to ask of yourself, and some ideas on furthering your own leadership journey.

 Elizabeth Naramore (@ElizabethN) – The Beauty of a Beginner’s Mind

What’s so great about not knowing what you’re doing? Why do we resist being terrible at things? In our personal lives, why do we place so much self-worth on what we produce, what we achieve, and how many things we cross off the list? The beginner’s mind is a beautiful, wonderful thing; full of joy, and curiosity, and hope. It’s also something that tarnishes and fades as we turn into Responsible Grownups™. In this talk, I discuss why rekindling your inner pioneer is vital to your well being and your career. By the end of this talk, you’ll be excited to be awful at everything.

Cori Drew (@coridrew) – Ignition: Geek Parenting’s Lessons Learned…so far

“A 12yo presenting App Dev at TED? An 11yo presenting Spark to a tech conference? That’s crazy; my kids just want to play games!” Do you remember what sparked your interest in technology? Everyone has a different story of how that spark ignited into a fire to #LearnAllTheThings. In this talk, Cori Drew will share the experiences that–as a geek and a parent–left her surprised and enlightened, and will cover tactical ideas of how to ignite that fire in your own kids. Share in the retrospective that led her daughter from a video-gaming 7yo to an 11yo speaker, and walk away with concepts of how to carry our passion for programming to our youth.

Jeff Blankenburg (@jeffblankenburg) – Be A Beginner

There’s two sides to your career: starting out fresh and new, looking to senior folks on your team, and slowly becoming one of those senior folks.  The important thing to remember is that no matter where you are in your career, EVERYBODY is faking it to the best of their ability.  We are problem solvers, and we’re solving problems that have never been solved before.  This talk will focus on how to be successful by thinking like a beginner.  Be curious, take deliberately small steps, and explain things without assumptions.  You’ll be amazed how much easier everything will become.

Alan Stevens (@alanstevens) – Values Driven Development

How we develop and ship software expresses the values of our team, business & users. Many teams can’t state their driving values. The process of outlining a shared set of values can lead to enhanced team identity and help align development efforts. The inverse of this process is looking at what the team has done historically and working backward from that to find the implicit values that have driven team behavior. If we study how we spend time, money and energy, we can cultivate a picture of our values in practice. There will be a gap or dissonance between our self professed values and those visible to others from our actions. Embracing this dissonance can drive out more clarity and coherence in our future efforts.
Attendees will leave with strategies for defining a set of shared values across a team as well as ways to find the values that have driven behavior historically.

Cory House (@housecor) – Confessions of a Technical Speaker: A Behind-the-Scenes Tour

Why do people speak at conferences? And how do they get started in the first place? Rest assured, the barriers to entry are surprisingly low, and the benefits are immense.  Get into major conferences, hang out with your programming heroes at lavish parties, and travel the world. All for free. Yes, this isn’t just possible, but attainable for nearly any developer! Do you want to conquer your fear of public speaking, transform your communication skills, and radically accelerate your career? Speaking allowed me to do all of the above and more in my first two years. Let’s take a tour behind the speaker lounge doors. I’ll share why you should join in on the fun, and lay out a clear strategy so you can join us.

Dawn E. Kuczwara (@digitaldawn) – Give Up!

Regardless of your technical field, most of us “grew up” as hands on resources. Because of that background, it’s sometimes difficult to turn control of a project over to someone we perceive to be less experienced than ourselves. And yet the inability to allow others to manage their own work, make their own mistakes and find their own path hinders their development and turns senior staff and leaders into the dreaded Micro-manager. Only by letting go can those around us grow. But more importantly, giving up control helps technical leaders expand their
skills in leadership and in their area of expertise.
This talk will cover:
  •  What does it mean to hold on, professionally (with examples)
  •  What are the negative aspects of holding on? (there are many)
  •  Who benefits when you give up control? (you, and your team)
  •  How do I get from control freak to Zen master?
  •  How to recognize when it’s time to give up (and when it’s not)
  •  It ain’t easy – the pitfalls of giving up control (and how to avoid them)

Jay Harris (@jayharris) – Conviction

What do you want to be when you grow up? Pursue your passions as a career and you will be celebrated, as it is the gateway to happiness.” Victors are idolized, failures martyred, but often without any reverence for talent. Yet, the differentiator is talent. So what if you have no talent for your passion? Or no passion for your talent? You can still achieve happiness, and it doesn’t even take a lot of hard work. You just need a little conviction.