How the smallest moments can create ripples of change across an engineering culture

TL;DR: Ahead of International Women in Engineering Day, I attended a leadership conference where a brief, unexpected conversation energised me as much as the keynote speeches. I’m now reflecting on how I see my own role; from leading mentoring programmes to shifting company culture, we make real differences not always by the scale of the company we work in, but in the positive ripple effects we create. Let’s engineer change, together. Last week I was at the LeadDev LDX3 conference, and it was an incredible and inspiring experience.

For the first time, I attended a conference as a Director, which opened doors to workshops and talks tailored to senior leaders that I hadn’t had access to before.

I found myself in rooms with leaders managing teams of hundreds, talking directly with folks who are dealing with major engineering challenges at some of the world's most recognisable companies.

Although I was inspired to be workshopping with these leaders, there were moments when I started to feel overwhelmed by the scale of what others were managing. Even though they were grappling with problems remarkably similar to mine, I found myself leaning towards unfavorable comparisons about the scale and complexity of our respective challenges, and seeing my own role as lesser to theirs.

A conversation to remember

Then something happened that helped me with a much needed switch in perspective.

I'd been chatting with another conference attendee when she noticed my Director lanyard. In a moment of comparison, I downplayed my role: "It's not a big deal. Some people deal with way more complicated things than I deal with."

We parted ways, but a few minutes later, she ran up behind me. "I had to come find you again," she said, "and tell you not to downplay yourself! You're helping lead a company, and that’s amazing. You should feel very proud of what you’re doing, you’re making a difference, and you should show that off."

I’d fallen into the “confidence gap”

That moment made me realise that I’d fallen into a familiar pattern I often see happen to underrepresented people, particularly women, in tech – a pattern that I’ve actually coached others through, and it had just happened to me! 

How many times have I watched talented women devalue their own achievements? And, regardless of gender, how often do we compare ourselves unfavourably to others while focusing on what we might be missing rather than what we bring to the table?

Research about how women tend to apply to jobs backs this up. While there's some debate over the exact percentages (some studies note the well-known “60% vs 100% confidence gap”; other studies show a narrower or nuanced difference in application tendencies between men and women), there is a general consensus in findings that women tend to either undervalue their qualifications or otherwise hold back in applications and self-advocacy in comparison to men. This difference directly manifests in a gender pay gap. Things aren’t rapidly improving, either; PwC’s Women in Work 2024 study shows that the gender pay gap persists at 90p for women vs £1 for men, and at the current rate of change, it will take over 50 years to reach parity. The challenges increase further for people of diverse genders, intersectionalities, and expressions – it can feel impossible to succeed while being our true selves at work.

I value humility and having a realistic perspective, but there's a difference between healthy self-reflection and systematically undermining my own contributions! 

When I diminished my achievements, I didn’t just hurt myself, I modelled that behaviour for others watching me. This perpetuates a cycle that keeps talented people from stepping into leadership roles or advocating for themselves. I’m grateful that another woman stepped up and fixed my perspective! (I wish I’d noted her name, maybe she’ll read this and reach out to me!)

Creating positive ripple effects

My new conference contact reminded me of something important: we shouldn’t compare ourselves to others, but to who we were before and how we’ve grown since.

A year ago, I had just stepped into the Director of Engineering role. Since then, I’ve been part of some genuinely meaningful initiatives that have improved our tech, our teams, and the experience of working at Speechmatics.

When I first joined, our employee health scores showed both strengths and areas for improvement. In particular, we saw opportunities to better support women in the organisation, and used this insight to guide our actions.

In response, we started a Women’s Inclusion Group that advocated for, and improved, our company health offerings for women. We rebuilt our engineering career progression framework from the ground up to be clearer and to emphasize inclusivity and our company values. We also introduced a peer mentoring programme for women in engineering which has now found a steady rhythm and continues to run each month.

Alongside that, I’m coaching and training new managers using an online course created by the fantastic Valerie Dryden, to help spread practices for healthy teams and build inclusivity into our culture from the ground up. It’s not just about becoming a better version of myself; I’m aiming to make ripples that uplift others as well.

There’s always more that we can do, but, our health scores have improved and I’m seeing changes reflected in others’ behaviour more and more frequently.

Small ripples add up to lasting change

I can see that the ripple effects are making a difference, even in small, everyday moments.

A year ago, I heard the same concerns repeatedly: people feeling isolated, unsure where to find support or mentorship, and lack of clarity for their growth. Now, when I ask what people want from our Women’s Inclusion Group, the answer is much simpler: “We just want to hang out with each other!”

That shift speaks volumes. It shows how far we’ve come. We’ve moved from an initial stage of solving immediate problems to building a deeper sense of community. People feel more supported, more heard, and more able to be themselves at work. 

Recently, someone told me about a meeting where a manager addressed a comment in a way that didn’t quite align with our values. Afterward, they said they’d asked themselves, “What would Teri do?” and stepped up to kindly correct their peer’s comment in a positive and inclusive way. I was humbled and encouraged that they told me this. It reminded me that the coaching and mentoring work we’re doing is starting to shape how others lead, too. We’re creating a culture where people support one another and speak up, to help us all be our best selves.

I’m excited that new ideas continue to emerge about how to further inclusivity at our company. For instance, thanks to Lorna Armstrong’s ideas, we’re working on a new format for inclusivity events at Speechmatics that will encourage anyone to run an event or gather a group in a way that’s meaningful to them.  She prompted us to go beyond gender to ensure everyone can bring their full selves to work, regardless of background or other personal circumstances. (Check out Lorna’s #INWED25 blog post by the way, it’s great!)

Inclusive teams build better tech

Seeing these changes take root in our workplace culture has been incredibly rewarding. But it was Charity Majors' talk at LDX3 that really reinforced why this work matters so much. 

Her presentation, "In Praise of 'Normal' Engineers," explored what she calls "sociotechnical practices." This is the idea that creating an engineering organisation where perfectly normal software engineers can consistently move fast, ship code, understand their software, and push the business forward – and it requires both social and technical elements working together, not the “mythical 10x engineer”.

The social elements include inclusivity, communication, psychological safety, humility, and interpersonal support. Combined with strong technical practices, tool choices and continuous learning, these create the strongest teams and forge the best engineers. Her research demonstrates that inclusive teams don't just make better workplaces but also make better technology.

When diverse perspectives are genuinely valued and heard, the products we build are stronger, the problems we solve are more comprehensive, and the solutions we create serve everyone better. Reinforcing these values is even more important in our recent climate of DEI initiatives being restricted or removed across industries. 

Switch from comparison to growth and impact

So, this International Women in Engineering Day, I'm challenging myself, other women, and all people in engineering leadership to stop comparing ourselves to others, and to focus on our collective growth, impact, and togetherness by uplifting each other. 

Yes, there will always be someone managing larger teams, speaking at bigger conferences, or solving more complex technical challenges. But that doesn't diminish the impact we’re having right where we are.

Look back at who you were a year ago. What problems have you solved? What initiatives have you driven? How many people have you mentored, supported, or inspired? How has your leadership contributed to building more inclusive, effective teams?

The technology industry needs diverse leadership at every level, in companies of every size. Your contribution matters – not despite its scale, but because of the authentic impact you're making.

Because when we engineer together – supporting each other, sharing knowledge, and building inclusive communities – we don't just create better workplaces. We create better technology that serves everyone. 

Own that achievement. The future of engineering will be shaped by it.