Building Your Leadership Inner Circle (Before You Need It)

Let's be honest: most of us don't think about building our peer support network until we're already in the thick of a crisis. You're dealing with a tough performance situation, navigating unexpected organizational changes, or making a call that keeps you up at night—and that's when you realize you don't have anyone to talk it through with who actually gets it.

This roundtable is different. We're kicking off 2026 by doing something that's easy to deprioritize but invaluable when you need it: intentionally connecting with peers who can become your trusted sounding board. Not networking for the sake of networking, but creating genuine relationships with other engineering leaders who understand the specific challenges of the role—the political navigation, the tough people decisions, the loneliness that sometimes comes with leadership.

We're using a format designed for actual relationship-building, not just discussion. You'll do structured intros with prompts that cut past the surface (think: what leadership challenge stretched you most last year), rotate through small group conversations, and have open time to continue the connections that click. Come ready to be real about what this work is actually like, and leave with people you can actually call when you need perspective.