22-25 April 2026 
Career Transition Workshop: From Technologist to Leader
Proposed session for SQLBits 2026TL; DR
Skilled technologists often reach a ceiling in their career unless they move into management. Competent technologists seldom know the non-technical, soft skills needed to be a skillful manager and team leader. Attendees will learn how to both lead and managing teams, focusing on motivation, effectiveness, and team success.
Session Details
Most IT leaders earned their promotions based on their technical competency, not their leadership or interpersonal skills. Technical leaders rarely step into leadership in possession of the complex mix of skills that engenders their success and the success of their teams.
Successful IT leaders require a combination of the technical expertise needed for competency in their profession and behavioral knowledge to understand the technology professionals they lead. In addition, all leaders excel when they achieve proficiency in four specific skill categories:
• Coaching
• Facilitating change
• Promoting communication
• Leading teams
This workshop trains technology professionals in every aspect of these four leadership categories. It equips attendees with training and reference materials to further develop their leadership potential and achieve excellent results, both for themselves and for their teams.
Successful IT leaders require a combination of the technical expertise needed for competency in their profession and behavioral knowledge to understand the technology professionals they lead. In addition, all leaders excel when they achieve proficiency in four specific skill categories:
• Coaching
• Facilitating change
• Promoting communication
• Leading teams
This workshop trains technology professionals in every aspect of these four leadership categories. It equips attendees with training and reference materials to further develop their leadership potential and achieve excellent results, both for themselves and for their teams.
3 things you'll get out of this session
Goal 1: Develop an understanding of self-awareness, internal motivations, and how to motivate your team.
Goal 2: Cultivate the visualization, planning, and execution skills so that you can meet and exceed the goals set by management.
Goal 3: Learn team leadership skills for specific scenarios, including resolving conflicts, correcting performance problems, motivational skills, and gaining the support of upper management.
Speakers
Kevin Kline's other proposed sessions for 2026
Query Tuning Internals for the Advanced SQL Developer - 2026
Query Tuning Telemetry for the Advanced SQL Developer - 2026
Kevin Kline's previous sessions
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Top 10 Mistakes of New IT Leaders
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