TL;DR: Learn the key takeaways from Rob Ocel’s talk on engineering leadership at All Things Open 2025. Discover how developers can manage up, build resilient teams, and lead through change.
This year at the All Things Open 2025 conference, I had the opportunity to volunteer and also attend some sessions. I found the whole event, focused on open-source tech, very informative and interesting, and am glad that I could attend.
One session I found particularly interesting at this year’s All Things Open (ATO) was presented by Rob Ocel , VP of innovation at This Dot Labs (and host of the Leadership Exchange podcast). He delivered a packed session on a topic that resonated deeply with attendees: how to manage up, lead effectively through turbulent times, and build teams that thrive on purpose and resilience.
Ocel’s talk wasn’t about hacks or tricks; rather, he wanted to share tips to consider. He had interviewed hundreds of engineering managers and executives to gather data on what works. Each idea he presented was grounded in a quote by someone he had interviewed.
Beyond the job description: Investing in yourself
Ocel opened with an idea from Angela Gill Nelms: “I want every employee to have five things they’re working on that they’d be proud to add to their LinkedIn.” In other words, your career shouldn’t be defined only by your job title. She asked us to think about “what 5 things are you excited about that you would want to brag about?”
Similarly, Erica Stanley’s quote to “invest in yourself,” emphasized the need to take ownership of your direction rather than letting your career “happen to you.” As Ocel put it, engineers often accept opportunities that don’t align with where they truly want to go. For example, if you don’t aspire to be “the AWS guy,” maybe that next certification isn’t the right move.
Instead, quantify the impact of your work. Don’t just list what you’ve done, show how it moved the business forward. Metrics and measurable outcomes help both you and your manager articulate your value clearly.
Career check-ins with yourself
The session also highlighted the importance of community and adaptability. Ocel encouraged attendees to check in with themselves regularly, every three to six months to ask: Am I doing, what I love? If not, pivot intentionally rather than waiting for change to happen to you.
In times of turbulence, investing in your network or tribe matters. Supporting others builds the foundation for mutual resilience when challenges arise.
And when you do stumble? Ocel echoed the advice of several speakers: embrace mistakes as part of growth. As Angela Gill Nelms had put it, “Celebrate successful failures, own your mistakes, fix them, and show resilience.”
Managing up: Leading without the title
Ocel’s most practical section tackled the art of managing up, a skill every engineer can (and should) develop.
“I expect my developers to have taste,” was a quote by David Cramer of Sentry. AI can produce outputs, but only humans can decide why something matters. Engineers who can make thoughtful, convincing arguments about their ideas and priorities are far more valuable than those who just execute tickets.
Maggie Johnson-Pint stated that the best contributors aren’t the ones waiting for the next Jira task, they’re the ones identifying customer problems and proactively solving them.
And as Saadia Khilji framed it, critical thinkers “inquire, seek to understand gaps, and transform organizations.” The biggest mistake employees make? Assuming someone else has already raised the issue they’ve noticed. Your unique background and perspective might be exactly what the team needs.
Influence in all directions
Leadership isn’t reserved for those with a title. True influence, as Kelly Vaughn was quoted saying, is about “managing in all directions.” That means managing up, mentoring peers, and empowering your own reports, all while maintaining transparency.
Beth Laing offered one of the most memorable quotes: “You don’t want your manager to be surprised in a meeting.”
No manager wants to hear about problems secondhand. Keeping communication open and addressing issues before they escalate builds trust. In a healthy work culture, success isn’t defined by the absence of failure, but by how teams handle failure.
Team culture: Shared accountability and safety
Ocel addressed a common frustration: “Why doesn’t anyone care as much as I do?” The problem, as Joe Esse noted, isn’t necessarily apathy. It’s misalignment. Teams thrive when success is shared, accountability is clear, and everyone understands the mission.
Drawing parallels from the restaurant world, Ocel referenced the concept of “mise en place,” everything and everyone in their right place, properly equipped before service begins. In engineering, this translates to ensuring that all team members have the tools, clarity, and support they need before a project kicks off.
Leaders also set the tone for psychological safety. Mistakes are inevitable; blame shouldn’t be. Teams that can admit, learn from, and correct missteps grow stronger over time.
Hiring, managing, and owning the middle
When it comes to hiring, Carina Gerry’s advice was succinct: “If it’s not a hell yes, it’s a no.”
Finding the right team member isn’t about hiring the best person on paper, it’s about cultural alignment. Training is costly; the wrong fit is costlier.
Ocel also explored the complexity of middle management. As Grant Ingersoll observed, “Anyone can fill the role when things are good.” The challenge arises when managers must balance loyalty to their team with responsibility to their organization.
Charity Majors framed this tension bluntly: “Your ultimate responsibility is not to your team, it’s to your company.” This doesn’t mean neglecting your people. It means aligning their success with the company’s mission so everyone wins together.
Making the call: Courage in leadership
A recurring theme across the talk was decisiveness. As David Cramer noted, leaders often hesitate, waiting for “one more piece of data” before acting. But leadership is about making informed calls with incomplete information, and being willing to be wrong.
“Throw the spaghetti and then listen,” was a quote by Charlie Isaacs , describing the iterative process of decision-making. The wrong call can still point you toward the right direction, if you’re listening closely enough.
Culture as a competitive advantage
“Every company has a culture, you just may not have the one you want,” warned Angela Gill Nelms. Culture starts on day one, and once it gains momentum, it’s hard to redirect.
Ocel introduced the concept of cultural debt, neglecting the rituals, celebrations, and recognition that keep a team connected. Canceling a company picnic might seem minor, but over time, those missed moments add up. Just like technical debt, cultural debt compounds silently until morale starts to slip.
Ocel’s takeaway: Track your cultural debt. Notice when engagement feels low, when small traditions disappear, or when gratitude gets replaced by stress. These are lagging indicators, as Hima Pingilli noted. By the time people start quitting, it’s already too late.
Embracing failure as the engine of improvement
Perhaps the session’s most powerful idea came from a quote by Kelly Vaughn : “Failure is the engineer of improvement.”
Ocel reminded us that experimentation and even bad ideas drive innovation. Cassidy Williams’ team celebrates this with a Slack channel dedicated to #bad-ideas, a safe space where humor and humility fuel creativity.
Failure isn’t the opposite of success, it’s a prerequisite for it. Teaching resilience means normalizing setbacks and rewarding recovery. Or as Jeff Hampton stated, “I orient toward optimism, appreciation, and low expectations.”
His point wasn’t cynicism; it was compassion. Unrealistically high expectations breed fear, not excellence. Give your people the room to surprise you.
Final takeaways
Rob Ocel’s talk wasn’t just about leadership: It was a blueprint for sustainable, human-centered engineering culture. Whether we were aspiring leads or seasoned VPs, his insights reminded us that success is built on clarity, connection, and courage.
Key lessons for developers and leaders alike:
- Own your career direction: Be intentional about your next step.
- Communicate impact: Quantify how your work drives value.
- Lead without authority: Influence through curiosity and problem-solving.
- Build resilient teams: Foster trust, shared accountability, and safety.
- Celebrate failure: It’s how innovation actually happens.
Ocel closed with a reminder to keep learning and connecting, whether through his Leadership Exchange podcast or by finding your own peer network. Leadership can be lonely, but it doesn’t have to be.
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This article was originally published at Syncfusion.com.
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