The Personal Traits That Power Great DevRel

Jade Mitchell, Senior Copywriter

TL;DR:

The best DevRel leaders don’t just know the tech; they translate, empathize, and build trust. Across interviews with experienced DevRel professionals, the same personal traits kept surfacing:

• Empathy & authenticity build credibility and connection

• Translational thinking bridges product and people

• Clarity over cleverness removes friction in docs and content

• Curiosity and stamina keep answers fresh and discoverable

• Adaptability and resilience thrive in this many-hats role

• Generosity and inclusion create sticky, growing communities

• Restless patience helps measure what actually improves DX

DevRel isn’t just about reach; it’s about removing confusion and earning developer trust. Hire and reward for the human traits that make hard things feel doable.

What makes DevRel truly impactful?

On our Bits & Bants podcast this year, we’ve talked with real movers in the dev-community space — Eva Sasson (Block), Katie Wasilenko Miller (Dev Marketing leader; ex-Slack, Asana, Google), David Fisher (EthicalAds), Chris Apaliski (VP Product Marketing, JPMorgan Chase), just to name a few.

Across those conversations, the same themes keep surfacing from the people actually driving interest, engagement, and adoption: DevRel impact is built on personal traits like empathy, translation, resilience, generosity, story-sense, authenticity, community intuition, restless patience, and humour. It’s not just product fluency.

Empathy & Authenticity make the trust bank balance go up

Developers have a sixth sense for insincerity. When content feels too polished or defensive, trust erodes.

Empathy and authenticity help DevRel teams build what Jono Bacon calls a “trust bank”. That trust is earned when you admit trade-offs, speak plainly, and truly listen. It’s the difference between broadcasting and building a relationship.

A tip is to make it a habit to include trade-offs in product announcements and tutorials. It builds credibility fast.

Translational Thinking is the bridge everyone actually uses

The best DevRel work isn’t just loud, it’s bilingual.

You’re constantly translating product details into human terms and translating community feedback back into roadmaps. That two-way bridge is where real adoption begins.

As Blessing Abeng notes, DevRel is the connective tissue between developers and product teams. The ability to reframe complexity without watering it down? That’s a superpower.

Story-Sense (Clarity > Clever) removes friction so work flows

Clarity removes friction. Cleverness often adds it.

Whether you’re writing docs, publishing videos, or designing onboarding flows, “story-sense” means leading with clarity, not wit. Developer satisfaction rises when the learning curve flattens, and that starts with clear messaging.

GetDX’s research has clearly communicated the developer satisfaction and the positive impact of documentation clarity.

Curiosity with Stamina keeps the answers fresh

Developers spend more time searching than you think. The 2024 Stack Overflow survey confirms this: a developer’s day is filled with context switching, troubleshooting, and information foraging.

Curious DevRels with long-haul stamina keep updating the breadcrumbs through fresh content, updated examples, and new formats. It’s not glamorous, but it makes discovery feel effortless.

Adaptability & Emotional Teflon thrive in a many-hats job

DevRel is a many-hats job. One day it’s writing a launch post, the next it’s debugging with a user, collecting product feedback, or jumping into a community thread. Priorities shift fast and often.

That’s why adaptability is essential. The most effective DevRel professionals can pivot without losing focus, context, or momentum. They stay clear on purpose, even when their tasks change daily.

And because the role is public-facing, emotionally charged feedback is part of the job. Emotional Teflon isn’t about being indifferent; it’s about staying grounded, handling input constructively, and not letting friction derail the mission.

Generosity with Credit builds communities that stick

In healthy communities, people feel seen.

Spotlighting contributors and designing for inclusion are not just tactics; they are traits that create rooms people want to stay in. DevRel folks who share credit generously build communities that grow on their own.

Restless Patience makes measurement meaningful

Patience helps you listen long enough to spot the patterns. Restlessness drives you to experiment and improve fast.

That balance makes measurement meaningful. Developer Experience metrics like EngSat and SPACE remind us: measure what reduces blockers, not just what trends loudly.

Good metrics tell you where the friction is. Great DevRel removes it.

Why these traits matter more than ever

DevRel’s real value isn’t just reach, it’s relief. The people who thrive in this work aren’t just fluent in product; they reduce friction, build trust, and make complex things feel approachable.

Empathy helps you hear what developers need. Translation turns feedback into features. Resilience and patience keep you focused on what actually improves the experience.

These aren’t bonus traits; they’re the foundation.

If you’re building a DevRel team, look for those qualities. Support them. And measure success in what truly matters: fewer blockers, faster answers, and healthier communities.