You are or you desire to help with coaching to your

Engineering Manager,
Team leader, Staff Engineer

For first-time engineering managers, I aim to set you up for success within 12 weeks, rather than leaving you to sink or swim over 2 years.

I guide you to set up your leadership foundation and fix your priorities, boosting both: your leadership skills and the business.

Engineering director,
Tribe leader or Chapter Lead

Let me to help you change your mindset.

Move away from being busy/operational engineering leader 🔥 to thinking strategically 🎯, and scale your teams, while hitting delivery goals in parallel.

CTO, VP Engineering,
Head of Engineering

You’re looking for an experienced person to validate your thoughts,  and help you execute the mission. Move from 50% to 80%+ success rate in delivery and leadership. The leadership board is asking you to hit the goals, while your teams are asking for help. Executive coaching, time to value, org design.

A team delivering 55% instead of 80% wastes €30k+ per engineer per year. For a team of 28, that’s €840k burned annually.

Mentoring your director costs less than 1% of that waste.

The cost of waiting: Every month without mentoring costs you €1,000+ in delayed salary growth.

The 6-month package pays for itself in under 4 months of your raise.

Your Experience

avatar list testimonials mentored

Since 2019, I have helped 200+ exclusive mentees from 17+ countries 🇨🇿 🇺🇸 🇸🇰 🇩🇪 🇬🇧 🇮🇱 🇳🇱 in their engineering leadership journey.

3000+ mentoring sessions in total.

Read the reviews ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Marian’s wealth of experience was incredibly valuable to me. In 5 months, Marian has taught me to look beyond daily tasks and set long-term goals. This shift in perspective has greatly enhanced my planning and strategic thinking . Marian’s mentorship has accelerated my learning and influenced my leadership style. Thanks to Marian, I was able to share my insights as a speaker at the Engineering Leaders meetup, an enriching experience in my career path I believe that anyone who has the opportunity to work with Marian will benefit greatly from his experience and guidance.
Jan Vrtiska
Engineering Manager @ Pure Storage
Ondrej Kofron
CTO @Carvago
Marian provides a wide variety of services, from high-level leadership and C-level mentoring to best practices for engineering teams. We spent a couple of months together during our mentoring sessions, which led to my personal growth, increased efficiency among our teams, improved transparency, and overall satisfaction within the team. I totally recommend any kind of cooperation with Marian. However, if you still hesitate, feel free to join some of his free community sessions to form your own opinion on what he can offer to you.

Mentoring packages

Choose your package and grab a time for an intro call:

Introduction session 🙂

FREE
  • Our first intro talk is rather informal. Together, we'll dive into:
  • 1️⃣ Giving you all the details regarding how mentoring works, 2️⃣ You'll explain the motivation and current situation, 3️⃣ We'll check if we have a win-win.
  • The intro is free of charge as we need to validate the chemistry fit first. If anything, I'd be delighted to get to know each other more and expand our network.
  • There are loads of people passively waiting 🙂

Continuous Growth 🚀

EUR 430/session
  • We start with a free of charge intro session
  • Weekly or bi-weekly occurrence
  • We set 2 measurable KPIs we'll hit by the end of our journey
  • With me, you grow 10x faster, turning you to a Leader Worth Following
  • In addition, I help you resolve your daily on-demand situations
  • Pay as you go, invoiced monthly

Strong 6-session commit package 💪

EUR 2,580
  • 6 sessions, 3 months if bi-weekly
  • Priority scheduling, guaranteed slot
  • We accomplish chosen company improvements you have in your objectives
  • Deep work on your biggest leadership challenges: OKRs, Talent assessments, team efficiency, AI adoption, reorg, scaling the company, stabilisation, time to value delivery
  • Accomplish your objectives, gain yearly bonus

Common Questions before Booking

⚡️ Do I need to pay upfront?
No. Pay as you go, session by session. No advance payment, no lock-in.
If after any session you feel it’s not worth it, we stop. My principle
is fairness — you pay for value delivered.
⏱️ How long until I see results?
Most mentees hit their first major milestone in 4-6 sessions (2-3 months).
After that, we take a break so you can execute and adopt what you learned.
🏢 How do I get my company to pay for this?
Most mentees (81%) are company-funded. Here’s what works:
1. Pick your top 3 goals from the topic list below
2. Calculate the impact: “20% efficiency gain on my 6-person team =
€216k/year saved”
3. Compare to cost: €5,160 = 2.4% of the value created
4. Propose a 3-month checkpoint with your manager to review progress
I’m happy to join an intro call with your manager to align on goals
and success metrics.
Why work with Marian?

✓ I’ve been where you are — developer → architect → manager of 100+ people
✓ 3,000+ mentoring sessions since 2019, not theoretical advice
✓ I speak your language (tech background, CZ/SK/EN)

✓ No upfront payment, no lock-in — pay only for value delivered

✓ Active network of 1,700+ engineering leaders you can tap into

Engineering leader mentoring guide

Location

Remote coaching sessions: Europe / America / Asia / Pacific / Australia.

On-site: WorkLounge Prikopy,
Prague, Czech Republic.

How does mentoring work?

An initial mentoring session is free of charge.

Each subsequent session has a clear outcome summarised at the end, with agreement on a principal follow-up action item for the mentee to progress towards our North star ⭐️

Rule #1

You are hungry to grow. 🌳 If interest or progress is low, the lessons will be canceled. My aim is to help those who express a high level of motivation. Our time on Earth is expensive.

Rule #2

At the 1st session, we define clear KPIs and we stick to them. I want to see you grow in the chosen areas!

Rule #3

Each session ends by a mini-homework for me or for you. This way, we ensure we have tangible progress, not just a talking coaching session.

Scope

1️⃣ At the first session, we aim to get to know each other, understand the motivation, and draw a set of initial milestones on the timeline to ensure we'll be heading in the right direction.

2️⃣ The following sessions primarily tackle specific operational issues a mentee expects to cover.

3️⃣ After we pass 4-5 sessions, I tend to steer the focus towards our pre-agreed goals, moving away from operational to strategic thinking.

⬆️ Get even more inspiration from the most in-demand topics above. Though you must already have a good starting point since you've come to this page

Cadence

I recommend a one-hour weekly or bi-weekly frequency so that the mentee has enough time to digest the information and action a follow-up item.

After three months, we’ll debrief to review progress and provide feedback, optimally with your manager. We’ll take a momentary break to keep our to-do list from getting too long.

Top 10 Subjects You Asked for in 2025

Top Mentoring areas per role in 2025. Live data, mentee session stats.

1How do I define and measure success in engineering? Mission, KPIs, metrics.
2How to build and execute technology strategy aligned with business goals?
3How do I prepare engineering for due diligence (M&A, Series A/B/C)?
4How to structure engineering budget and headcount planning?
5How do I evaluate and govern AI adoption at enterprise level?
6How to build engineering culture that scales beyond 50+ people?
7How to build hiring pipeline, talent assessment, and learning programs?
8How to communicate with the board about technology investments?
9How do I balance product roadmap vs technical debt paydown?
10How to handle major platform rewrite or modernization decisions?

FAQ

For Companies

"What can I anticipate during our initial call?"

First and foremost, I’d be delighted for the opportunity to connect with you and mutually broaden our professional circles. During our initial meeting, the primary objective is to assess whether a mentoring relationship would be mutually rewarding and fulfilling. We’ll also explore whether there’s a good personal rapport between us.
I will provide a comprehensive overview of my experience and the mechanics of the mentorship program.
Afterward, I’ll open the floor for you to discuss your current challenges and future aspirations.
In a nutshell, by the end of our conversation, we’ll determine if we’re both well-suited for a beneficial partnership.
This initial consultation is free of charge.

Additionally, I’d be happy to assist you in making a compelling case to your direct supervisor about the value of investing in your personal and professional growth.

"What should I expect at our first formal session?"

The objective of our first official meeting is to uncover your driving forces and establish our guiding vision, complete with a clear definition of what success looks like for you. During this session, we’ll delve into various facets of your life, including your values, current circumstances, and future objectives. We’ll also take the time to align these discoveries with your existing personal development plan.

"Do you rather provide mentoring or coaching?"

I think beginning with mentoring and transitioning gradually to coaching after building mutual trust is advantageous for several reasons:

  1. Establishing a trust foundation: By starting with mentoring, a solid trust foundation is formed between the mentor and the mentee. This initial mentoring phase ensures that the mentee feels supported, understood, and guided by an experienced individual.
  2. Addressing pressing areas: The mentoring mode in the initial sessions enables us to focus on addressing immediate and pressing areas of concern for the mentee. This involves providing advice, sharing experiences, and offering solutions to specific challenges or problems.
  3. Transfer of knowledge and skills: During the mentoring phase, the mentor can share their expertise, knowledge, and skills with the mentee. This knowledge transfer helps the mentee develop a stronger foundation and gain valuable insights that can be applied to their personal growth and development.
  4. Establishing a personal connection: Through mentoring, a personal connection is established between the mentor and mentee. This connection enhances mutual understanding, empathy, and rapport, which are crucial for effective coaching.
  5. Utilizing open-ended coaching questions: Once the pressing areas have been resolved and a sense of trust has been established, the transition to coaching becomes more effective. Coaching focuses on empowering the mentee to find their own solutions and make decisions through the use of open-ended questioning. This approach encourages critical thinking, self-reflection, and independent problem-solving skills.

By starting with mentoring and gradually shifting to coaching, we create a supportive and trusting environment where the mentee can benefit from guidance while also exploring their own capabilities. This approach facilitates a smoother transition into coaching, where the mentee takes on a more active role in their personal growth and development.

"What are the prerequisites for continuing our collaborative journey?"

First and foremost, the goal of our mentorship is to achieve tangible progress, rather than just engaging in intellectual discussions. To this end, each session will conclude with a practical homework assignment, which we expect to be completed most of the time.
Secondly, open and honest communication is vital; the more transparent you are about your intentions and challenges, the more effectively I can assist you in addressing specific situations and achieving your goals.
Lastly, rest assured that our conversations are strictly confidential, and no private information will be disclosed.

"Can you provide any references?" 🚀

The most valid reference is word of mouth. Ask people in your network about me. Chances are I’ve coached some of your colleagues or friends.

If you want more, see my > testimonials.

"Will I obtain any leadership certificate after our mentoring is over?"

If a certificate is your main goal, then we are not compatible.

We shoot for a different goal: boosting your skills in real, not on paper.

"How can you support me in securing my career development?"

I offer specialized introductory sessions that include your direct manager. During this meeting, we’ll seek their approval on your proposed guiding vision (“North Star”) and what constitutes success at the conclusion of the mentorship. To maintain open lines of communication, we can mutually agree that I’ll share updates on our progress with your manager. At the end of our mentoring journey, we’ll conduct a comprehensive review with your manager to assess if we’ve achieved the previously defined success metrics, along with recommendations for future steps in your career.

"Can we facilitate the sessions on site or remotely?"

We facilitate the sessions mostly online. I love meeting clients f2f for introduction or  for the regular sessions in Prague, Czech Republic.

Are you looking for other ways of boosting a multitude of your teams in the company?

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If you wish to consult and advise on your career journey, help you land an excellent job, get proficient at interview talks, boost your personal brand in 3 months, or to help you establish your full solo business in 6 months, I’m pleased to navigate you in your journey.

For Universities

Supporting education is an integral part of giving back to the community early enough. So far, we have excellent partnerships with

Education is supported exclusively free of charge.