You were great at writing code. You understood the problem, shipped the solution, went home satisfied. Then someone decided your reward for being good at your job was to never do your job again.

"Embrace the suck" is a military phrase. It means the situation is awful, it's unavoidable, and the only way out is through. I use it with every new engineering leader I coach because it's the most honest thing I can offer them.

This talk covers the specific moments in the engineer-to-leader transition where most people want to quit: the identity crisis of your first month without commits, the meetings that could have been emails (but actually couldn't), and the day you realise nobody is coming to train you.

For each, I'll share what's actually happening, why your instinct to retreat to your IDE will make it worse, and what to do instead.

If you're a new or emerging tech leader wondering whether you've made a terrible career decision, this one's for you.