How Engineers Actually Become Leaders at Unicorns | Ksenya Aleksandrovich talks with Hanna скачать в хорошем качестве

How Engineers Actually Become Leaders at Unicorns | Ksenya Aleksandrovich talks with Hanna

Kseniya Aleksandrovich is an experienced IT engineer and an Engineering Manager at PandaDoc. In this honest and thoughtful episode of *Talks with Hanna*, we dive deep into what it really takes to grow into a leadership role in tech — and why becoming a leader is a long-term journey, not a one-month or one-year transformation. This conversation is about real leadership: building teams where people management is not about control, tasks are not set for the sake of tasks, and growth requires constant self-reflection and change. Together, we explore a fundamental question: Who is a leader — and how do you actually become one? Kseniya openly shares what Engineering Managers usually don’t talk about: Why leadership doesn’t happen overnight The mistakes that most often lead to burnout Why the absence of women on a team is a serious red flag How she conducted over 60 interviews in one year — and how to succeed in today’s highly competitive IT job market What she would change in a company if she had a €1M budget as a leader This episode is especially valuable for software engineers, aspiring Engineering Managers, women in tech, and anyone navigating leadership in B2B SaaS and modern tech teams. --- ⏱️ Key Topics 00:29 Who is Kseniya Aleksandrovich — Engineering Manager at PandaDoc, community builder, leader? 01:14 What problem Kseniya wakes up wanting to solve every day 03:06 “I didn’t wake up one day as a leader” 04:18 Senior Engineer → Engineering Manager: the most painful mindset shifts 06:09 Why a leader is not the smartest person in the room 07:00 “I was speechless”: the moment that changed her understanding of leadership 08:38 The everyday reality of leadership: “Sometimes I just stare at the wall” 12:12 The biggest mistakes new leaders make 14:25 Promotion means trust: leadership wisdom 17:40 Two leadership rules for growth without burnout 19:21 Why having no women on a team is a red flag 25:16 Why finding a job in IT is so difficult right now 27:00 Can you become a leader without prior experience? 28:58 60+ interviews in one year: how to pass interviews in a tough IT market 36:15 The formula of a strong female leader 38:46 What’s happening in B2B SaaS today 44:00 If you had €1M — what would you change as a leader for your team and company? --- 🌐 Follow us LinkedIn:   / women-in-tech-eu   Instagram:   / projectwomenintech   Women in Tech Blog: https://www.wintech.me/blog Guest: Kseniya Aleksandrovich   / kseniya-aleksandrovich   Host: Hanna Samarskaya   / hanna-samarskaya   Content & Production Producer: Aliaksandra Savinich   / aleksandra-savinich   Go-To-Market Producer: Polina Molchanova   / pmolchanova   --- This season is created within the Women in Tech project together with the Center for Gender Studies at EHU and funded by the European Union. #womenintech #leadership #engineeringmanager #careerintech #pandadoc #b2bsaas #talkswithhanna