People & CultureConference50min
Side Quest Unlocked: Community Glue Work and the Future of Tech
This talk highlights the vital role of “side quest” activities—mentoring, community-building, and knowledge sharing—in tech. It argues that these often-overlooked tasks develop key leadership skills, strengthen teams, and advance the industry, urging companies to recognize and reward such contributions for individual and collective growth.
Melinda SeckingtonLearn Build Share
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Thursday, May 7, 09:00-09:50
Room A
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Every great RPG has side quests. Some people skip them, racing toward the final boss battle, ignoring anything optional. But those who take the time to explore, help others, and build connections unlock skills, allies, and opportunities they never expected. The same is true in tech.
The best engineers aren’t just great at writing code; they also bring people together. Mentoring, organising events, documenting knowledge, connecting people: this work strengthens teams, builds communities, and helps push the industry forward. It’s often seen as extra, but it’s essential to how people grow and how the next generation of engineers finds their way.
You don’t need to take on every side quest to grow your career. But what if the best way to level up isn’t just through your code but through the connections you build, the knowledge you share, and the side quests you choose to take on?
In this talk, we’ll explore how community “glue” work, like mentoring or organising events, teaches leadership skills like communication, strategic thinking, and crisis management. We’ll talk about why this work matters, why companies should recognise and reward it, and how it shapes the future of tech.
The best engineers aren’t just great at writing code; they also bring people together. Mentoring, organising events, documenting knowledge, connecting people: this work strengthens teams, builds communities, and helps push the industry forward. It’s often seen as extra, but it’s essential to how people grow and how the next generation of engineers finds their way.
You don’t need to take on every side quest to grow your career. But what if the best way to level up isn’t just through your code but through the connections you build, the knowledge you share, and the side quests you choose to take on?
In this talk, we’ll explore how community “glue” work, like mentoring or organising events, teaches leadership skills like communication, strategic thinking, and crisis management. We’ll talk about why this work matters, why companies should recognise and reward it, and how it shapes the future of tech.
Melinda Seckington
Melinda Seckington is a consultant, trainer and coach, working with engineering teams and leaders to improve their communication, management and collaboration skills. She previously was an engineering manager at companies such as the Wikimedia Foundation and FutureLearn, where she focused on creating great internal engineering cultures. She’s an international conference speaker and has spoken at over 50 conferences, covering topics from good management practices to becoming a better speaker.
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