Wix Women in Engineering Leadership (WEL) Program. Part Two 🎓

This is the second and final part about the **WEL program. If you missed the beginning of this journey, check out the first article: [Wix Women in Engineering Leadership (WEL) Program. Part One 👩🏻‍💻](https://medium.com/@jana_om/wix-women-engineering-leadership-wel-program-part-one-18bf77a72ee6)**.

Time really does fly! So much has happened since February, and the knowledge and experience from the WEL program have definitely reshaped my perspective on leadership in tech. Overall, my experience with the program was incredibly positive. I remember during our first session, we wrote down our goals and what we hoped to achieve. I wrote that I wanted to find my personal leadership style, learn more, and make new connections. I’m still figuring out the first one, but I definitely accomplished the other two.😊

First, Wix is an incredible company, and visiting their office to meet all these talented people face-to-face (not via Zoom!) was truly inspiring. Second, the networking opportunities were fantastic! Since participants came from different companies in Lithuania, I now have connections at some of the biggest tech companies in the country.

The program included group discussions, hands-on workshops, and real case studies from major Lithuanian companies like Vinted. We also had the option to sign up for mentorship opportunities.

The main topics covered:

• Team dynamics: Leadership vs. management
• How to stand out
• Personal leadership style
• Goals and understanding the business
• Engineering management

There were so many dimensions of leadership I had never even considered before this program. The session that resonated most deeply with me was about personal leadership styles. I’d never really considered what kind of leader I might be because, honestly, I’ve always prioritized the technical aspects of projects.

My approach has been straightforward: work doesn’t need to be enjoyable all the time, but it should always offer opportunities to learn new skills and gain hands-on experience. I used to think there wasn’t much room for emotions or even additional communication when it came to work relationships.

But it turns out there are many more human-centered approaches to consider. Because leadership really isn’t about writing better code — it’s about working with people. And that requires a completely different skill set.

Discover Your Leadership Style. Screenshot from Wix WEL Program Session on Personal Leadership Style

This new perspective on leadership made me reevaluate my own workplace. It was difficult to accept that while my company claims to have a leadership culture and standards, they largely exist only on paper. You don’t realize this until you start talking with people from other companies.

Recent conversations with WEL participants from major tech companies in Lithuania and people from companies like Databricks and Google have been revealing — learning about how these organizations genuinely invest in and support their people. By the end of the WEL program, the reality was clear: it was time to look for an environment that truly values the leadership principles I was learning.

How the WEL program affected me personally?

• Changed my communication style with newcomers. I’ve become more intentional about how I interact with new joiners and junior developers on my project, taking extra time to be attentive and supportive rather than just task-focused.
• Discovered that leading by example works best for me. When I pass a certification or attend a conference, I make sure to share what I’ve learned with my team and communities on Medium and LinkedIn. I actually picked up this approach from watching my team lead on the client side — seeing how naturally he mentored through actions rather than just words.
• Took ownership of one more project. I’m working directly with our Marketing team on the client side, handling the full implementation of their ideas. It’s been eye-opening because I’m not just coding — I’m hearing from real stakeholders about their needs and challenges, which has pushed me to grow both technically and in understanding business requirements. And believe me, marketing for an energy company still involves a lot of data engineering!😁
• Became more proactive in the tech community. The program made me realize that tech communities aren’t just about the technology itself — they’re fundamentally about people. How do we connect with each other? How do we keep people engaged and supported? These insights from WEL actually inspired my presentation at **Beam Summit 2025 in NYC, on July 8–9, where I spoke about practical steps for getting involved in the Apache Beam community. For more information, check out my presentation: “Growing the Apache Beam Community: Resources, Contributions, and Collaboration.”**

Huge thanks to Wix for this incredible experience! If you’re a woman in engineering who’s curious about leadership or looking to take those first steps into a leadership role, and you’re based in Lithuania (all sessions were in-person, but you don’t have to speak Lithuanian!), I can’t recommend the **WEL **program enough.

If you’d like to know more about the program, let’s connect on **LinkedIn**. 👋