Presentation: Lead Without a Ladder: How I Climbed Into Engineering Leadership
Pauline Jepp explains how systems thinking, rock climbing, and flocking behaviors apply to engineering leadership. She shares strategies for balancing team autonomy with alignment, supporting invisible work like mentorship, and navigating transitions from hands-on engineer to engineering leader while maintaining organizational trust and psychological safety. By Pauline Jepp
Pauline Jepp's journey from a PhD in Computer Graphics & AI to engineering leadership is one of passion, problem-solving, and mentorship. She explains how systems thinking, rock climbing, and flocking behaviors can be applied to leadership. Belayers in climbing, who catch climbers when they fall, teach the importance of trusting others and being open to beta, or feedback.
Pauline shares a personal experience where a more experienced climber helped her move her feet just 2 inches to progress. This small act inspired her to think about balance in leadership, supporting team autonomy while aligning with organizational goals. She emphasizes the value of mentorship, invisible work, and psychological safety in navigating transitions from hands-on engineering to leadership roles.
Pauline's career path is unconventional, but her love for learning, solving problems, and working with talented people has made her journey rewarding. Her talk is for anyone who feels their path isn't traditional, challenging them to think about how their engineering skills can help the system around them succeed.
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