Finding the spark: Unlocking growth potential on your team

Summary
Not everyone on your team is chasing a promotion, and that’s okay. This talk gives you a practical framework for spotting what kind of growth each person needs and how to help them get there.

Every team is made up of individuals with different motivations, strengths, and growth trajectories. Some are hungry for the next big challenge. Others are steady, consistent, and quietly keeping things running. And then there are the folks who might be stuck or even holding your team back.

In this talk, we’ll walk through a simple but powerful framework to help you identify who’s ready for more, who needs a different kind of challenge, and who may need direct support to improve. We’ll explore the differences between rock stars and superstars, how to recognize medium and low performers, and how to tailor your development conversations accordingly.

And because we don’t all have an unlimited budget for promotions, raises, or new roles, we’ll also cover creative, cost-effective ways to offer meaningful growth opportunities – like stretch assignments, mentorship, and skill-building projects—that help your team grow without breaking the budget.

You’ll leave with a clear lens to evaluate performance beyond just outputs and learn how to create growth plans that actually stick.

About the Speaker
Kelly Vaughn is an engineering leader, entrepreneur, and side project enthusiast. She is currently a Senior Engineering Manager at Zapier and is passionate about coaching individual contributors into leadership roles and mentoring engineering managers to be impactful, empowering leaders. When she’s not working, you’ll probably find her running, traveling to a new country, or spending time at a coffee shop to make a tiny dent in her never-ending book collection.

Agenda: (in PST)
5:00 - 5:15pm Welcoming + Social (small groups in breakout rooms)
5:15 - 6:25pm - Talk + Q&A
6:25 - 6:30p.m. - Wrap up

Please note that this zoom meeting is password-protected. RSVP will end 12pm PST the day of the Meetup event. The zoom info will be sent to you (through Meetup) after the RSVP has closed - please check your email. Please join the zoom link with your real name.

Please RSVP if you are coming and please update promptly if your plan changes. Our "No Show" policy - we will remove you from the group if you RSVP but do not show up a few times. We hope that it would provide some fairness to our speakers, our organizers as well as other people who got onto the wait list wanting to come to our events.