From Technical Expert to Trusted Leader,
Without Figuring It Out Alone
Most engineers, developers and technical professionals are promoted into leadership without a roadmap.
Leading With Integrity’s Integrity Leaders Community gives you the real-world guidance, practical tools
and peer community to make that transition with confidence, not guesswork.
No One Teaches You How to Lead People
You were promoted because you were exceptional at your work, that was the recognition you earned and you deserved it.
But the moment you stepped into leadership, the rules changed and no one told you. Suddenly you’re expected to:
Lead Specialists
Lead a team of specialists who think the way you used to think.
People Decisions
Make people decisions that don’t have clean, logical answers.
Navigate Conflict
Navigate conflict, uncertainty, and dynamics that weren’t in any technical training.
Deliver Through Others
Deliver results through others instead of doing the work yourself.
And most of the time, you’re left to sort it out alone… ‘On The Job Training’… In real time.
Second-Guessing
Constant second-guessing on decisions that feel high-stakes.
Authority Gap
Unsure how to lead former peers or earn authority with people who don’t know you.
People Issues
Struggling with people issues you’ve never faced before… the messy human stuff.
Isolation
Feeling isolated in a role where admitting uncertainty feels risky.
It’s not that you’re not capable.
You’re exactly as capable as you’ve always been.
The problem is that no one gave you what leadership
in a technical environment actually requires;
and that’s not on you.
There’s a Better Path Into Leadership
Leading with Integrity and the Integrity Leaders Community are built specifically for technical professionals making this transition,
because generic leadership content wasn’t designed for the environment you’re stepping into.
Real-World Guidance
Beyond corporate theory or academic frameworks. Practical perspective from someone who has actually led in technical environments and watched what works and what breaks teams.
Tools You Can Use Immediately
Not concepts to think about later. Frameworks, knowledge and approaches you can take into your next 1:1, your next difficult conversation, your next team challenge.
A Peer Community That Gets It
Often, the most valuable thing for a new technical leader isn’t more content.
It’s a trusted group of people navigating the same transition at the same time, friendly ears, supportive people.
Outcome:
Step into leadership with clarity and confidence
and build a team that trusts you.
Built by Someone Who’s Been on Both Sides of This
David Hatch will tell you something most leadership consultants won’t: his first experience managing a team wasn’t good.
He told people what to do and expected them to fall in line, he made the mistakes that break trust and erode teams.
And then (because he genuinely cared about getting it right) he committed to figuring out a better way.
That decision changed everything and it’s the foundation of everything he now teaches.
Why David is the right guide
He learned by doing it wrong first.
There’s no theory here that hasn’t been tested against reality. David knows what poor leadership costs because he lived it, did it, recognized it and rebuilt from it.
He invested in his own development.
MSc in Business and Management. Fellow of the Institute of Leadership. A collection of additional qualifications, pursued and paid for out of his own commitment to becoming a better leader. Not because someone told him to, because he believed it mattered.
200+ conversations with leadership experts.
David’s podcast has brought him into conversation with over 200 practitioners, researchers and leaders across industries and around the globe. He’s distilled what actually works (and what doesn’t) into Leading with Integrity and what he teaches inside the community.
The Result: A program built not from theory, but from the full arc of getting it wrong, committing to get it right and spending years learning from the best in the field.
MSc in Business and Management
Fellow of the Institute of Leadership
200+ podcast conversations with
leadership experts
Built from real experience in
technical and high-performance
environments
How It Works
Three steps. No guesswork. A clear path from where you are to where you want to be.
Take the Leadership Quiz
Evaluate your skills and identify growth opportunities.
Join the Community & Meet other Leaders
Connect, share insights, access resources and build a network of leadership peers.
Grow Into Confident Leadership
Become a people-first, authentic leader and drive positive change.
Each step builds on the last — giving you the foundation, the skills, and the community to lead with confidence.
Step 1:
Take the Leadership Assessment
Start with clarity on where you actually are. The free Leadership Heroes Quiz identifies your strengths, your gaps and the most important next step for your development right now. And for some added sci-fi fun, it’ll tell you who your leadership hero is.
Will yours be Kirk, Spock, Starbuck, Jack O’Neill…? Or someone from Firefly, Star Wars…? There’s only one way to find out! It also
1: Identify Your Strengths
Understand where your natural leadership instincts are already working for you
2: Spot the Gaps
See clearly which areas are most likely to create friction as you grow into the role
3: Get Your Next Step
Walk away with clarity about the good, bad and ok; not a list of everything to fix at once
Leading with Integrity
Step 2:
Join the Community
Get access to the full Leading With Integrity platform: on-demand courses, live workshops, peer events, a leadership knowledge base, and exclusive content.
All built specifically for technical leaders, not generic corporate managers.
On-Demand Courses.
Spend time in the Engine Room for practical leadership content you can work through at your own pace, built for technical professionals. Now with added sci-fi flavour, because fun.
Virtual Workshops & Meet-ups.
The Ready Room grants access to real-time sessions where you can get to know your fellow leaders and discuss how to apply what you’re learning to the real situations you’re actually navigating.
Peer Community.
Your crewmates on the virtual starship that is Integrity Leaders, a trusted group of technical leaders at the same (or similar) career stage; share what’s working, work through what isn’t.
Leadership Knowledge Base.
Visit the Computer Core for exclusive resources and frameworks you can return to whenever you need them; an ever-growing collection of resources and data.
Step 3:
Grow Into Confident Leadership
With real guidance, real peers, and a clear path forward you stop guessing and start building the kind of leader you’ve always wanted to be.
- Lead with clarity instead of second-guessing every decision
- Build trust with your team, including former peers
- Navigate difficult conversations and people challenges with confidence
- Grow into the kind of leader your team actually wants to follow
You Don’t Have to Figure This Out Alone
Every technical leader who’s made this transition successfully had one thing in common: they stopped trying to work it out in isolation and found the right environment to grow in.
That’s what Leading with Integrity is. It’s why the Integrity Leaders Community exists. It’s why David does what he does.
More Than a Course You Watch
Active, applied learning, live sessions, mentoring
focused on practical, real situations
A Community You’re Part Of
Real peers navigating the same transition
and challenges
Real Progress, Together
Guidance, support, accountability
and momentum
Built for engineers, developers, and technical professionals stepping into leadership for the first time.
Not Sure Where You Stand as a Leader?
Most new technical leaders don’t know what they don’t know, that’s where the quiz starts.
Take the free Leadership Quiz to understand:
• Where your natural leadership strengths actually are
• The gaps most likely to show up as you grow into the role
• The single most important next step for your development right now
It takes less than ten minutes and it gives you something most new leaders never get:
a clear, honest picture of where you are and where to focus.
No email required to see your results (although there’s the option to enter your email if you want more detailed analysis, for free!)
The Leader You’re Becoming Is Already in There
Leadership isn’t a personality type. It’s not something you either have or you don’t.
It’s a set of skills, habits, and ways of thinking that can be learned, by the right person, in the right environment, with the right support.
Real guidance. Real peers. Real progress.
FAQs
You’ll find the answers to some of the most commonly asked questions here.
If your question isn’t featured, please book a chat and I’ll provide the answer.
How much time will I need to commit?
It’s up to you how much time you want to commit. Some of our members are here every day, others just drop in every now and again.
All the live events are recorded, so you won’t have to be there in person if you can’t make it.
What type of learning opportunities can I expect to find?
There’s a selection of leadership courses, including a free starter kit for first-time leaders.
There are regular interactive events where we discuss common challenges leaders face — imposter syndrome, for example. Plus, every week, you’ll get early access to the latest leadership podcast.
There are links to all the previous leadership podcasts, videos, event transcripts and a wealth of other resources. New, useful stuff is added regularly.
If there’s something in particular you’d like to learn about, just ask. I’m happy to set up sessions about any leadership subject.
How do members engage with each other and collaborate?
The user directory has a short intro by all the members (you’ll be asked to fill this in too, during onboarding). You can see who’s joined the community, what they do, and their leadership priorities.
You can chat with other members confidentially via direct messages, or publicly via the leadership chat thread. You can also talk to members during the live online events or drop-in virtual rooms.
How is information shared within the group? Is it confidential?
Direct messages are confidential. No one else will have access to your conversation. The leadership chat thread is open to all members.
As part of the terms of membership, we expect all contributions and conversations to be treated with confidentiality – this is crucial when some of the subjects for discussion can involved sensitive information.
What kind of leaders are part of the group?
It’s a diverse assortment of leaders. There are first-time leaders and experienced managers, business founders and entrepreneurs from a variety of industry sectors. Everyone is new to leadership in some form, whether a first time founder, brand new manager, or a recently promoted, more senior leader. The common cause is: people first, community, and learning.
How easy is it to access one-to-one leadership mentoring sessions?
Pretty easy! Once you access the membership area, you can just click on ‘Call with David’ on the left-hand main menu. It takes you straight to my diary so you can book in a mentoring session.
How much does it cost? And, will I need to pay extra for the one-to-one sessions?
Membership costs £39 per month.
Ad hoc, one-to-one leadership mentoring is free. It’s included as part of your membership — although bear in mind that if you’d like a series of regular sessions, I may have to charge for these. I’m happy to discuss an affordable option.
What happens if the community doesn’t meet my expectations? How easy is it to leave?
You’re not tied in. It’s a monthly rolling membership and if you want to leave the community, you can do so at any time.