Sharpening The Saw.. Sideways

Every engineering leader wants to get better at the craft, but growth doesn’t always come from going deeper into what you already know. Sometimes, it comes from the side.
This talk was about taking bets outside your comfort zone and why those seemingly unrelated moves might matter more than you think.
I shared my personal experiences exploring adjacent skills like storytelling, improv, and vocal training, and how they sharpened the way I lead, communicate, and show up at work.
It’s not a prescription. It’s an invitation to step off the usual path, try something unexpected, and see what it unlocks.

May 2025 - Engineering Leadership Collective Vancouver

Transcript

1. Sharpening the Saw... Sideways. linkedin.com/in/diego Diego Quiroga
2. Books
10. I had a mouth and I couldn’t speak.
13. Leadership lives in how we speak and listen. Your voice is your instrument — keep it sharp.
21. Yes, and..
22. Storytelling
24. We’ve always gathered around stories.
25. Why not tell a story?
27. It stays with you
30. Just enough to not get rusty.
33. Humans still needed
34. Take one bet. One curiosity. One thing slightly o -road.
35. Thank you. linkedin.com/in/diego Diego Quiroga