Why Your Best Engineers Become Your Riskiest Hires — and How to Fix It Before It Costs You Your Best People
June 17 at 12:00 p.m. AT | Live Online | 60 Minutes
Organizations often promote their strongest technical performers into management roles because they are reliable, high-performing, and deeply knowledgeable. But technical excellence does not automatically translate into effective people leadership.
Without the right preparation, newly promoted managers can unintentionally become one of the biggest risks to team engagement, retention, and performance. They may struggle with giving feedback, holding meaningful one-on-ones, delegating effectively, recognizing contributions, or identifying early signs of disengagement. Over time, this can quietly impact morale and lead to the loss of strong team members.
Join Susan Power, Founder & CEO of PowerUp Leadership, for a live 60-minute session exploring the “accidental manager” pattern and why it is especially common in technology and engineering organizations.
This practical session will help leaders understand why promoting top individual contributors without proper support can create avoidable retention risks, how to spot the warning signs early, and what systems can be put in place to help new managers succeed.
Participants will walk away with a clearer understanding of how to:
* Identify the risks that come with promoting technical experts into people leadership roles
* Recognize early signs of team disengagement before resignations happen
* Understand the real cost of manager-driven attrition
* Support first-time managers with practical leadership habits, including one-on-ones, feedback, delegation, and recognition
* Take one concrete step to de-risk the next promotion cycle
This session is designed for VPs and Directors of Engineering or Technology, founders and senior leaders scaling teams, and People, Talent, and L&D leaders who are responsible for engagement, retention, and leadership development.
Your best people do not just quit jobs, they often quit managers. Spend 60 minutes learning how to turn your riskiest promotions into stronger, more confident leaders.
(We’ll email you the join link before the session.)