Coaching Your Team Through Tough Times
Summary
Guiding a team through adversity—whether it’s layoffs, failed launches, business pivots, reorgs, or executive turnover—is one of the most complex challenges for engineering leaders. Successfully navigating these situations requires a mix of empathy, healthy relationships, and strategic communication. In this session, we’ll explore how to maintain morale during difficult periods, keep your team focused on long-term goals, and turn setbacks into growth opportunities for team members.
Host
Nikrad Mahdi is a technical advisor and former VP of Engineering at DeepScribe, an AI scribe that transforms doctor-patient conversations into clinical notes. Prior to DeepScribe, he led engineers at Dropbox, Figma, Quip, Salesforce, and Slack, focusing on tools for collaboration, productivity, and creativity. Originally from the Midwest, Nikrad has lived in the Bay Area for the past 15 years, collects too many cookbooks, and spends his free time singing with his toddler.
