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Technical Leader Checklist
PRESENTED BY
Michael Carducci
Software Architect & Magician
Inevitably, talented engineers find themselves in a leadership position (whether it's explicitly part of their title or not). Making that transition from a contributor role to a leadership or management role can be tough.
There are a handful of skills and qualities that make a great leader. This keynote explores those qualities, how to develop and strengthen them, and exercises to continue your personal growth long after the session ends.
Michael Carducci
Michael Carducci spent years learning to see things as they actually are; first as a magician, then as a software architect, now as both simultaneously. And somehow that’s not even the whole story.
He’s the author of Mastering Software Architecture (Apress, 2025) and is currently writing The Semantic Layer (Packt, 2026). He has spent over 25 years following interesting problems; through roles from individual contributor to CTO and back again, across industries and continents.
As a speaker, he applies the same toolkit he uses in close-up magic: attention, misdirection, timing, storytelling, and the instinct to take the long way around when that’s where the truth lives. Audiences at hundreds of conferences across four continents have described his talks as the kind that change how you think about a problem rather than just what you know about it.
He also makes YouTube videos about technology and curiosity with his wife Kate, because some ideas are too important (or too interesting!) to leave only in conference rooms.
More from Michael
ALL SESSIONS ↗Cautionary Tales of Dysfunctional Leadership
Participation in dysfunctional teams is virtually a universal experience. We've almost all experienced it, but it can be so nebulous and difficult to articulate what makes it so.
Finding Signal in the Noise: The art of Execution
In tech teams it's a constant firefight. We react. Then we react to the reaction... the cycle continues. In all this noise, in all this chaos, how do we move forward. How do we remain proactive?
Leadership: How to be a Force Multiplier
Great leaders inspire, excite, and empower those in their teams. These leaders help create a team that is more than the sum of it's parts; in short, a great leader can be a force multiplier for the team.
Managing Tech Teams: Rules, Tools & Insights
Software projects can be difficult to manage. Managing teams of developers can be even difficult. We've created countless processes, methodologies, and practices but the underlying problems remain the same.
Effective Leadership - The Six Principles of Persuasion
Whether you want to effect culture change in your organization, lead the transition toward a new technology, or simply get more out of your team; you must first understand that having a “good idea” is simply the beginning. An idea must be communicated; a case must be made. Communicating that case well is as important, if not more so, than the strength of the idea itself.
Two and a half days with the people writing the playbook.
Insightful sessions, inspiring ideas, and meeting your peers — the skills and methods that take your organization to the next level.