Thoughts before MoTaCon: Into hell and back again
11 Sep 2026
In this moment:
Nancy Kelln
Continuing with an experiment. Let's look at the talk and workshop descriptions of MoTaCon 2026 and share my thoughts and reflections before the talk/workshop has happened. And then, hopefully, share my thoughts after MoTaCon — for those I'm able to attend live or watch back via the recording.
Let's look at Nancy Kelln's talk: The hidden leadership of Quality Professionals: skills you only earn when everything goes to hell.
Epic title. Gotta love the use of "when everything goes to hell". I think we've all been there when everything goes to s**t. And if we're yet to experience that, it's gonna happen folks. No way to avoid it in this career.
It reminds me of my wife's work. She works in fertility healthcare and she has a line for her teams.
Let's look at Nancy Kelln's talk: The hidden leadership of Quality Professionals: skills you only earn when everything goes to hell.
Epic title. Gotta love the use of "when everything goes to hell". I think we've all been there when everything goes to s**t. And if we're yet to experience that, it's gonna happen folks. No way to avoid it in this career.
It reminds me of my wife's work. She works in fertility healthcare and she has a line for her teams.
"There are things that are recoverable and there are things that are unrecoverable."
Mostly if her teams encounter issues she has to remind them that most things are recoverable and to not panic when a major situation hits. In her industry a panicked embryologist can make disastrous moves if panic mode takes over. Something could move from recoverable to unrecoverable. And, of course, it's a different conversation when things are unrecoverable.
There's absolutely something in this for our roles in tech and the issues we face. If s**t hits the fan then lets quickly categorise if the thing we need to resolve is recoverable or unrecoverable. And I guess true leadership comes form being aware of those two categories well in advance based on conversations about risk.
I then jump to a side thought for the Security Chapter and the opportunity for them to discuss disaster recovery techniques and approaches.
I like where Nancy is coming from in her talk description.
I've learned that those working in quality develop a hidden set of leadership skills that only emerge when everything is falling apart. This talk pulls back the curtain on those superpowers... [this is] a talk about power, instinct, courage, and the leadership that emerges from those closest to quality.
Bring on the hell that Nancy speaks of. Let's see what it teaches us and how we can use it to build with quality and care.
Simon Tomes
Community Lead at MoTaverse
he/him
Hello, I'm Simon. Since 2003 I've had various roles in testing, tech leadership and coaching. I believe in the power of collaboration, creativity and community. 🎓 MoT-STEC qualified. I get real joy working with and supporting our wonderful MoTaverse community.
“Thanks for making me feel so confident about myself.” | “I'm so grateful for all you do in the MoTaverse community, I learn so much as a result!” | “A simple chat with Simon in person absolutely changed everything.” | “Simon is one of the best people that I've ever met to have conversations with. He's so grounded in his way of thinking and articulates his thoughts so well and his feelings and his knowledge about community and everything.”
Open To
Write
Teach
Speak
Mentor
CV Reviews
Podcasting
Meet at MoTaCon 2026
Review Conference Proposals
Sign in
to comment
See how Lynqa runs your existing tests as written, captures step-by-step evidence, without code or no-code.
Explore MoT
See how agentic testing workflows help teams deliver faster without sacrificing quality.
Boost your career in software testing with the MoT Software Testing Essentials Certificate. Learn essential skills, from basic testing techniques to advanced risk analysis, crafted by industry experts.
Into the MoTaverse is a podcast by Ministry of Testing, hosted by Rosie Sherry, exploring the people, insights, and systems shaping quality in modern software teams.
