The Romanian IT market is in a bit of a pain recently. A large number of companies present in the local market are restructuring, releasing people: FintechOS, Endava, Cognizant, NTT Data, Playtika, Deloitte (tech center, not Deloitte Romania) and many more.

The current ask for junior roles is close to zero. The ask for senior/expert roles heavily increased. There’s an inbalance between the highly skilled demand and the available skills, therefore there are more people looking for a job in IT vs the current open roles. The people getting released these days are either bench for some time or lower skilled (either technically or soft skills / consultancy).

This was driven mainly by lower demand coming from industries which are currently suffering and down-prioritizing digital transformations vs their core business priorities, more companies internalizing their IP, increasingly higher cost of Romanian workforce, therefore relocating to even lower cost countries, and so many other global and local factors.

If we take a deeper dive into the local factors, we’ve experienced massive hiring efforts during the C-19 pandemy and shortly after.

With everyone working from home, companies realized that local physical presence is not necessary after all, thus pushing more and more roles to working remotely and to lower cost countries, Romania included. This created a pressure in the local market and lead to a lower quality of the skills hired, just to fill in the roles.

With everyone working from home, Romanian IT engineers (and not only) discovered in mass duojobbing and freelancing. Having multiple contracts in parallel is not necessarily something bad while we have the end goal in mind: adding the right value to the end client for the money they pay. But when people are just lowering their effort, lacking pro-activity, ignoring ownership and just doing the bare minimum in their job … this is when the market needs to react and shift.

The Romanian IT market is the victim of its own success. Just waiting for outsourcing demand to come here for the high engineering skills and lower cost is not enough anymore: https://lucianpopovici.com/2024/03/04/the-romanian-it-industry-beyond-outsourcing

In the rapidly evolving landscape of technology, the role of programmers has moved beyond just coding skills. Today, the demand is moving to delivering comprehensive solutions that address client needs effectively. In this paradigm shift, the consultancy mindset has emerged as an indispensable asset for programmers, distinguishing them as value-adding partners rather than mere executors of tasks.

The days when programmers were confined to their coding cubicles, disconnected from the broader objectives of the projects they were working on are now gone. The modern programmer is expected to be more than just a technical expert; they are now entrusted with understanding the intricacies of the client’s business domain, recognizing underlying challenges, and proposing innovative solutions that go beyond the client’s initial requests.

The consultancy mindset requires programmers to adopt a proactive approach towards client engagements. Rather than simply executing what the client asks for, they need to delve deeper into the client’s requirements, critically evaluate them, and offer insights and suggestions for improvement. By challenging the client’s assumptions and proposing alternative approaches, programmers can add substantial value to the project and contribute to its overall success.

One of the key aspects of the consultancy mindset is effective communication. Programmers must possess strong interpersonal skills to engage with clients, understand their needs, and convey complex technical concepts in a clear and understandable manner. By fostering open and transparent communication channels, programmers can establish trust and collaboration with clients, ultimately leading to better outcomes for the project.

Furthermore, embracing a consultancy mindset entails a commitment to continuous learning and self-improvement. Programmers must stay updated with the latest advancements in technology, industry trends, and best practices to provide informed recommendations to clients. By investing in their professional development, programmers can expand their skill set and offer innovative solutions that meet the evolving needs of clients.

Another crucial aspect of the consultancy mindset is a focus on delivering value. Programmers should strive to understand the broader objectives of the project and align their efforts towards achieving tangible outcomes for the client. This may involve identifying opportunities for optimization, streamlining processes, or introducing new features that enhance the overall user experience. By consistently delivering value-added solutions, programmers can solidify their reputation as trusted advisors and strategic partners to their clients.

This leads again to education and the education system needs to change to align more to the increasingly changing business environment. Unless this happens, the Romanian education system will continue to produce highly skilled engineers. But though high skilled, these engineers will not be best fit for the new economy and new ways of working given lack of consultancy mindset.

Intro

I have more than 20 years in the tech industry. I’ve been fortunate enough to work for product companies (even open source), consultancy (even the Big 4), captive software delivery centers and the old milking cow of the IT industry – the OUTSOURCING.  In my working experience, I have spent more than 2,000 days in hotels across the world (including 6 months in Athens during the 2004 Olympics) supporting my clients. Experimenting different cultures and different client organizations helped me a lot. And I am grateful for every experience I lived, no matter how harsh it was at that time.

My first payslip in a Romanian software company was 400 EUR in the early 2000’s. Paid in cash. I had already 2 years’ experience at the time. Nowadays, you cannot hire a junior software engineer with similar experience with less than 1,200 – 1,500 EUR. Which is a nice progress. It’s a different economy, a different ecosystem, plenty of IT companies in the market and, of course, Romania evolved a lot since the gray early 2000’s.

My parents worked their entire life in a textile factory. In the early 90’s the textile industry was like the nowadays IT industry – an El Dorado. Until it wasn’t anymore as it became too expensive and too low value add. And it refused to change and adapt to the reality. Lots of factories shut down and many people became unemployed. Including my parents…

Current landscape

In recent years, the Romanian IT market has experienced significant growth, establishing itself as a key player in the global tech industry. With more than 200,000 skilled workforce, competitive costs, and a favorable business environment, Romania has become a hub for outsourcing services. The IT industry contributes 8% of the Romanian GDP as of 2024.

However, as the industry matures, there is a growing recognition of the need to shift from a focus solely on outsourcing to more value-driven approaches such as consultancy and product development.

Outsourcing has long been the cornerstone of the Romanian IT sector. Companies from around the world have been drawn to Romania’s abundance of talented software developers, engineers, and IT specialists who offer high-quality services at relatively low costs. This has led to the proliferation of outsourcing companies across the country, servicing clients around the world in various industries.

The challenge

While outsourcing has undoubtedly been an advantage for the Romanian economy, there are concerns about its long-term sustainability. One of the primary issues is the perceived lack of value in purely outsourcing services. Many companies view outsourcing as a cost-saving measure rather than an opportunity to drive innovation or create unique solutions. This resulted in the IT services becoming a commodity, where companies compete primarily on price rather than quality or innovation.

Moreover, the cost of labor in Romania, while still competitive compared to Western Europe or the United States, has been steadily increasing. As the demand for skilled IT professionals continued to rise, so too did the cost of hiring and retaining talent. This posed a challenge for outsourcing companies that relied heavily on cost arbitrage to remain competitive in the global market. With recent fiscal changes (removing the tax exemption for IT engineers), the cost of Romanian talent became even higher, competing with countries like Spain, Italy, Portugal or Poland.

Since tail of 2023 and continuing in 2024, we see quite a lot of companies laying off capable engineering teams. It’s the first year I see more “Open To Work” people than new jobs in Romania. And this is a tipping point.

Embracing the change

A shift to more value added is needed. A shift towards consultancy and product development is necessary. Consultancy firms offer specialized expertise and strategic guidance to clients, helping them navigate complex technological challenges and maximize the value of their investments in IT. By focusing on consultancy services, Romanian IT companies can differentiate themselves from competitors and deliver more tailored and value-added solutions to clients.

Similarly, product development presents a significant opportunity for the Romanian IT market. Rather than simply providing labor for hire, companies can leverage their technical expertise to develop proprietary software products and solutions.

However, transitioning from a reliance on outsourcing to a more consultancy or product-focused model is not without its challenges. It requires a shift in mindset, culture, and business strategy. Companies must invest in building domain expertise, fostering innovation, and developing long-term relationships with clients. Additionally, they must adapt their organizational structures and processes to support consultancy and product development activities effectively.

Despite these challenges, the move towards consultancy and product development represents a natural evolution for the Romanian IT market. By focusing on delivering value rather than simply providing labor, companies can create more sustainable business models, attract higher-value clients, and drive innovation in the industry. Moreover, by embracing consultancy and product development, the Romanian IT market can position itself as a global leader in technology solutions, further solidifying its place on the world stage.

The role of education in driving change

The transformation of the Romanian IT market requires complementary changes in the educational system to align with the industry’s evolving needs.

Educational institutions must prioritize the development of practical skills, critical thinking, and creativity among students, preparing them for roles in consultancy, product development, and innovation.

There is a need to foster closer collaboration between academia and industry, ensuring that educational programs remain relevant and responsive to the demands of the IT market.

Outro

While this article is about the ecosystem, economy and evolution of the Romanian IT market, I do believe a sequel needs to be written about the mindset shift we need in the engineering teams which are settling for less. In the comfort zone of risk-free well-paid jobs, seldom challenging the clients and rarely going the extra mile.

Think outside the box! How often do we hear this advice encouraging us to be more creative, to bring disruptive ideas and unconventional methods, to shake things.

But what if the we’re in a strict environment enforcing us to follow the processes, to be compliant and go with the flow?

You would believe that thinking inside the box is bad. It can be indeed if we always stick to the same box, not allowing us room to grow, not trying new perspectives within the same boundaries. If we just stick to the rules blindly all the time, yes it can become a routine, limiting our thinking and transforming us into people who just follow “what is right”.

I often felt I was put in a box with clear rules and policies. Social rules, relationship constraints, job related policies and so on. I often felt that when I tried to do things differently, when I tried new methods or challenged the status quo, I have been put back to my place, back to my corner, the corner of a small box of what it was generally acceptable to do. But this did not discourage me. On the contrary…

From an early age, my parents, my teachers and the entire former communist ecosystem did not encourage or even allow me to think “outside the box”. I had to comply, to follow the well established rules and policies. And if I was not permitted to think “outside the box” , the choice I had was to push the boundaries of my box, making it bigger and bigger each time I was sent back to my corner. My corner became therefore the place from where to push the boundaries for my box to grow. With each precedent created, with each small win, the area of my box increased allowing me to do more things, slightly unconventional, reinterpreting the rules and creating myself space to breath.

Fast forward couple of decades into 2017. I was having early discussions for a role to scale up and run the Digital Practice of a Big4. Nothing clear, just some targets of headcount, projects and different other business KPI’s. No clear job description, no clear role and responsibilities, no RACI matrix, nothing. Which I really loved. It provided me the ground to define my own box and create the structure to shape the box according to the business and my team’s needs.

But a Big4 has rules and processes. And a Big4 implementing software projects in Financial Services or Public Sector in different countries across EU and non-EU has more rules and processes. Internal processes and the ones from our clients. And these put quite a lot of constraints around the box and around what someone could do.

I was initially afraid. I felt too constrained and I could not see myself successful in such an environment. My own created job description was falling apart when I started to understand the setup. But the lessons I’ve learned across the years, the resilience I started to master and the skills I acquired to navigate through multiple constraints gave me hope. Needless to say that after more than 6 years in the role, I managed to scale up my teams to ~700 brilliant engineers, delivered multiple successful projects across industries, geographies and technology stacks. And leaving behind a culture of learning, helping each other and caring for one another while having the client’s need at our core.

So, sometimes working with the processes, the rules and the constraints and thinking inside the box is not that bad. It can actually challenge your creativity even more than stepping out of the box. With a bit of resilience, a bit of business acumen, a bit of stubbornness, a bit of creativity and some people skills to navigate an organization we can make wonders within our boxes.

Photo credits: bizjournals.com

Ca orice corporatist cu aspirații antreprenoriale, am înființat o firmă pentru activități conexe vieții corporatiste (consultanță, mentoring, coaching, training, chestii la care cred mă pricep cât de cât). Dacă toți pașii pentru înființarea firmei și toate procesele ulterioare sunt super digitalizate, nefiind nevoie să te deplasezi din confortul biroului de acasă, prima scrisoare venită de la autoritățile statului care nu te găsește acasă te pune pe drumuri. Și nu departe, ci la cel mai apropiat Oficiu Poștal (cu O mare și P mare), pentru mine 14 minute pe jos, 4 minute cu mașina.

Ușor de găsit, ușor de parcat. Dar când intri in sediu, parcă lumea se schimbă. Nu mai ești în Bucureștiul anului 2023. Mașina timpului chiar există si este la Poșta Română (P mare și R mare). Nu am mai fost de mult timp într-un Oficiu Poștal și parcă m-am întors în timp: imprimanta matricială (cea cu ace, da) care nu știu ce tipărește non-stop, una doamnă pe marginea ghișeului care ștampilează în continuu plicuri cu lovituri grele de lemn pe lemn, una doamnă la ghișeu care se ocupă de cetățeni, una doamnă care mănâncă covrigi (scuzați cacofonia) în spatele celor două doamne care parcă pare că face ceva și Domnul Nelu. Domnul Nelu revine în poveste puțin mai tărziu. Și bineînțeles, felicitările care nu se vănd niciodată în anul 2023, cu plicurile aferente și timbrele pe care trebuie să le umezești (știm noi cum) pentru a le lipi pe plic. Plus nelipsitele reviste Formula AS, Femeia și multiple integrame, rebusuri și lozuri. Mă simt ca în anii 90 la mare.

După 10 minute de stat la coadă corespunzător, cu mintea franjuri de la imprimanta matricială și de la toboșarul începător care nu poate ține ritmul (prima doamnă cu ștampilele) mi-a ajuns rândul s-o înfrunt pe doamna doi, cea de la ghișeul cu CETĂȚENII, adică noi, cei plătitori de taxe, cotizanții. Docil, dau buletinul (nu știu de ce în continuare îi spune buletin, e CARD sau CARTE de identitate) și fițuica primită în cutia poștală. După 2 minute de răsfoit printre dosarele legate cu sfoară, se duce la un raft de unde ia scrisoarea. Cu un zămbet știrb invingător se îndreaptă înapoi la ghișeu și confruntă adresele: cea de pe scrisoare și cea de pe cartea de identitate. Problemă, nu se pupă. Nu mi-am schimbat adresa în noua carte de identitate după ce ne-am mutat din apartament (pe care l-am păstrat, deci sunt încă proprietar).

Doamna 2: Nu vă pot da scrisoarea, adresa firmei este diferită de cea din BULETINUL dvs.

Eu: Păi e și normal, eu pot locui undeva și firma să aibă sediul social în altă locație. Întâmplător, ambele locații îmi aparțin și vă pot dovedi cu contract de vânzare-cumpărare și cu contractul de comodat. Plus actele firmei, pe care le am la mine. Puteti verifica numele, datele din cartea de identitate că sunt eu = administratorul firmei și să-mi dați scrisoarea.

Doamna 2: Vă trebuie declarație din partea firmei că puteți ridica scrisoarea. Trebuie să confirmăm că stați la adresă.

Eu, deja cu vocea puțin iritată: Doamnă, eu sunt administratorul firmei. Doriți să completez o foaie A4 pe care să scriu că EU am voie să ridic scrisoarea?

Doamna 2: Da, vă duceți la adresă și completați cererea și o semnați.

Eu: Îmi dați, vă rog, o foaie A4 și un pix pentru a scrie această cerere, pentru a o semna și înmâna acum? O fac aici pe loc. Ce relevanță are că o completez și semnez 800m mai încolo?

Doamna 2: Nu e conform proceselor noastre. Trebuie completată la adresă. Ba mai mult, vă trebuie și ștampilă. 

Eu, deja cu vocea puțin ridicată: Doamnă, conform legilor din România anului 2023, nu mai e nevoie de ștampilă pentru a gestiona o firmă. Vă pot completa și semna pe loc. Cum facem să îmi dați scrisoarea?

Clar, asta a pus-o în încurcătură. Nu cred că știa legile care guvernează firmele. Moment în care a apelat la  Doamna 1 care și-a întrerupt ștampilarea celui de-al 150-lea plic. După o mică povestire, Doamna 1 (cea cu ștampila) confirmă ce spune Doamna 2 (cea de la ghișeu) că e nevoie de ștampilă, că știe că nu mai e nevoie, dar așa sunt procesele Poștei Române și din păcate nu există altă soluție.

Moment în care trece prin spatele Doamnei 3 (cea care mănca în continuare covrigi – adevărul e că sunt gustoși), un domn spre 57 de ani, liniștit, smerit, resemnat. Doamna 1 strigă (deși domnul era chiar lângă ea):

Doamna 1, aratănd spre mine: Nea Nelu, îl cunoașteți pe domnul?

Nea Nelu: De ce întrebați?

Eu: Doamnă, dar de ce întrebați? Ce relevanță are?

Doamna 1: Dacă factorul poștal din zona dvs vă recunoaște, vă putem da plicul. 

Nea Nelu, deși nu ne văzusem niciodată în viața asta: Da, îl știu. 

Nea Nelu se uită pe adresa plicului și cu un zâmbet și o mișcare ageră de ochi, îmi zice: Întotdeauna mă latră cățelul ăla al dvs. 

Bineînțeles că în spate se făcuse deja o coadă de încă 6-7 oameni care așteptau cu teama interacțiunea cu Doamna 2. Mi-am cerut scuze politicos, dar triumfator, fluturând scrisoarea de la ANAF, inmănată de Nea Nelu (îi mulțumesc pe această cale).

Uimitor cum unii oameni nu-și pun problema de valoarea adăugată pe care o aduc în societate, cum procesele (învechite, încălcite, greoaie) nu sunt puse la îndoială (challenged cum ar spune corporatiștii), cum în anul 2023 stăm pe hărtie, pix și ștampilă fără să ne găndim la cum putem face o viață mai bună celor din jurul nostru. Cei din jurul nostru care întămplător ne plătesc salariile.

PS – nu am văzut un PC, laptop, tableta la Oficiul Poștal. Totul e pe hărtie, multe hărtii, toate legate cu sfoară pentru a alcătui un dosar. Ăsta e dosarul cu sfoară, nu cu șină. Welcome to the past!

PPS: Tensiunea arterială a revenit la normal după ce am povestit asta unor prieteni și am pus-o pe hârtie…scuze, adică online aici pe blog 🙂

I consider myself a moderately successful person. I’ve got my family with my beautiful and brilliant daughter, I’ve got my hobbies and I’ve done something professionally that I am proud of.

And I’m not comparing myself with other people. I am comparing myself with the person starting from a poor family and from a poor small town.

I was born an introvert. I am still an introvert but a self-educated extrovert. You don’t see me initiating dialogues unless a person strikes me as an exceptional person, intriguing me and lighting up the interest of knowing them.

Below some tips I personally learnt the hard way as an exceptional introvert.

Embrace the way you are

Introversion isn’t a flaw; it’s a distinctive characteristic. Embrace it. Understand that your preference for solitude isn’t a sign of weakness but a source of strength. Introverts tend to be great listeners, observant, and highly self-aware, qualities that can be harnessed to excel in personal and professional endeavors.

It took me years to understand I am not an extrovert, it took me years to understand I have to play my strengths and work with my weaknesses. Every failure put me back to my box, but introspecting and learning I made my box larger and larger each day.

Cultivate deep (not necessarily many) connections

Quality over quantity—this rings especially true for introverts. Building a few strong, meaningful relationships can be more impactful than having an extensive social circle. Invest time and energy in cultivating deep connections with individuals who share your values and interests. These connections can provide invaluable support and opportunities.

I personally find it too tiring to maintain too many quality relationships at the same time. If it’s quality then it needs to be less quantity so that I have time for myself, my family, my hobbies, my inner energy generating engine.

Use your strengths

Introverts often excel in environments that allow for introspection and deep focus. Leverage these strengths by choosing careers or projects that align with your abilities. Fields like writing, research, programming, or creative arts can be particularly fulfilling for introverts, allowing them to showcase their skills and excel.

I successfully (I believe) I have done that at the dawn of my career. I was an avid reader, a decent programmer and very focused on music (listening and creating). But with experience and age, I started to discover people, different people, different personalities intriguing me to find out more about them. And slowly I opened myself to listening more, interacting more and talking more (though initially it hurt).

Develop communication skills

While introverts may not always be the loudest voice in the room, effective communication is a vital skill. Practice articulating your thoughts clearly and assertively. Engage in activities like public speaking clubs or workshops to improve your communication abilities. Remember, effective communication isn’t about being the loudest, but about being impactful.

I know it’s difficult. Been there, done that, it’s painful. My first speeches in front of my teams were horrendous. But I learnt by practicing (sometimes in front of a mirror), trying different audiences, different styles and preparing, preparing, preparing. A lot of effort and sometimes feeling low, but eventually it pays off. Never give up!

Embrace solo pursuits

Embrace the beauty of solo pursuits. Whether it’s reading, painting, hiking, or any other activity that brings you joy, embrace it fully. These solitary activities not only recharge your energy but also foster personal growth and creativity.

I like to spend time with myself, introspecting, playing piano, listening to music or just walking in the park side by side my doggo. But I also love to be surrounded by people, telling each other stories and sometimes even be the fire-starter of a party.

Continuous learning and growth

Commit to a journey of continuous learning and personal growth. Embrace new challenges and opportunities that push you out of your comfort zone. Each new experience, no matter how small, contributes to your personal development.

Take care of yourself

Self-care isn’t selfish—it’s essential. Prioritize your well-being by carving out time for self-care activities. Whether it’s meditation, exercise, or simply enjoying solitude, nurturing your mental and physical health is crucial for success.

Hope this helps. They helped me for sure!

We often get trapped in our biased views and our limited perspectives. And we often complain that we are not provided with growth opportunities and the work context is so constrained that we cannot progress in our career. And we always look up on the career ladder. But what if we look sideways and make a lateral move? Can we grow (maybe faster) from a lateral move or we always need to follow the “known” growth path?

I was strolling this morning in the park, as I usually do every early morning. And the dog walked me to this tree (you may figure out why). If a tree can grow though it was cut, why we cannot do the same as humans?

If a tree, with no chance of growing, had the power and will to grow from a lateral tiny bud, why can’t we?

I am a true believer that sometimes we need to open our minds and find opportunities in lateral,  growing our spectrum of capabilities and making us stronger and more valuable in the future.

Never assume! Never assume! Never assume!

My first lesson in the corporate world. I was quite young, and I was leaving Romania for the second time for a job. After one year in Paris, I landed in the beautiful city of Limassol in the amazing island of Cyprus. No one would associate Cyprus with technology. Neither did I.

But here I was, in a 1000+ engineering Cypriot site of Amdocs close to the new port of the city. First day in the office, the 25 batch of new employees are starting induction. All in the same room, all eyes pointed to the senior lady in front of us.

Written BIG on the white board with black marker – NEVER ASSUME!

Silence, no questions. The senior lady did not say anything. Neither did we. Awkward silence in the room.

After a couple of minutes of intense weird moments, the senior lady started reading what was on the board: “NEVER ASSUME. Why we should never assume?” Again, moments of silence.

“Because whenever you assume, you put an ASS between U and ME”. BANG!!! Lesson of my life. Not really at that particular moment. But this came with more explanations and life experiences from her and how asking questions at the right time on the important topics may solve difficult situations in the future which we would face if we’ve just assumed.

When I first started to work for Amdocs on client sites, interacting with senior business leaders from the client, I was afraid or too shy to ask questions. So, I was filtering their requirements and their asks through my own simple junior understanding. And oh, how I’ve got burnt and no bonus that year. And as a flashback it came to my mind – NEVER ASSUME, such a good lesson.

Does this mean we should never trust anyone and anything? Of course not, we should be able to trust but we should also be able to verify our assumptions. People make assumptions in everything we do, otherwise nothing would get done. But we should be more cautious when it comes to more important assumptions.

So, NEVER ASSUME.

PS: I love sneakers (sport shoes, not chocolate). I do have a large collection, no preferred brand. But when I found these, I did not hesitate for a second and I bought them. So, now I am wearing my favorite quote quite often 😊

When I was a child, I had this obsessive dream that I was flying. Every night for a few weeks, I was flying above the world, taking off from high buildings from different cities and just flying on. Smoothly, eyes down observing the crowds and looking for the next high peak to land on. Similar to Icarus from Greek mythology (but much closer to the ground and far away from the Sun), I could fly.

I don’t dream much anymore, or at least I can’t remember much of my dreams when I wake up. But I have different dreams. Life dreams. Reachable dreams. The ones  that if you work hard and keep your north star, you will end up living them.

Spoiler alert (so that you can stop reading) – my dream is to cease doing the type of work I do right now by the time I am 50, move to Spain (Valencia or further south), open a restaurant and live there. For those who don’t know me: I am a good cook (not a chef yet). I love cooking, it’s one of my passions, I could have my own restaurant with a fine dining approach, but with enough food on your plates 🙂

That’s my materialistic dream. Quantifiable, measurable, tangible. On the non-tangible goals, I want to leave something behind, a mark, a spot, a mosquito bite. So that I did not live for nothing. A question mark in some people’s heads, an idea or a thought at the right time to make an impact in someone’s life.

I was always a dreamer, at least this is how people around me would portray me. With high hopes, out of reach goals and crazy ideas. But they were mine. And not for now, but for future. Far enough future so that I can strive today for that dream and not be disappointed I can’t reach it tomorrow.

Coming back to this story. I believe we live too much in the present and in the very near short-termed future. Wanting everything, right now – I want a promotion, I want a 20% salary increase, I want a new car, I want a new house, I want to travel to an exotic place. NOW. But what for? What’s my end goal?

We stopped dreaming. We stopped making long term plans for long term goals. Everything is so fast moving and everything is lived in the very present. What if we shift our focus to the next few years of our life? If we look at our future US, the best version of US in the next few years. Would we look to:

• Check health regularly
• Exercise at gym, exercise in the park but also exercise the brain
• Relax, disconnect
• Indulge good food and a glass of whatever (wine in my case)
• Learn something new every day
• Take care of our family and friends
• Put money aside for our long term dream and for anything that could happen
• Don’t burn stages in our personal development/progression though this implies more money

It’s easy to jump to the next opportunity providing more (money, perks, status….). But is this always the right thing to do? Do we keep our north star by making the move? What if we think twice, what if we think different?

Don’t get me wrong, it’s good to always aim for more, to always push boundaries, but we need to balance this need with our long term objectives.

I personally made the mistake to be jumping for more money (just for the money, nothing else) and forgetting my north star, ignoring advice. I’ve got burnt, just like Icarus when he was trying to get closer to the Sun.

So I am now balancing my thirst for more and my inner need for reaching my dream faster with happiness, time for myself and for my family, time for my hobbies and just enjoying life. I believe I’m living my dream. Until I’m living the next one 🙂

This does not have a conclusion. Just random thoughts about dreams, work, life, happiness and balance 🙂

I believe it’s improper to say “you own a dog” the same way it’s improper to say “you own a kid”. I do have a dog, a 2-year-old Border Collie. And basically, I don’t have him, we have each other.

But if you have a dog, or if you’re a dog lover, this article makes more sense for you.

I am a morning person. Usually, by 6am I am up & running, all showered and caffeinated. And when I open the door to the courtyard, there he is, my lovely boy: eyes wide open, wagging tail, and honestly, I could see a smile on his face, though I think it’s all in my head 😊 Or not…

Those eyes, that joy. And it’s every time, no matter if it rains or it’s cold outside, or a very hot summer day. Or I have done something wrong to him like shouting at him or finger pointing him. He is there, eyes wide open, wagging tail with a smile on his face. Always forgiving, always waiting, always happy to see me.

Those eyes. The way he looks at me. Like I’m the best person in the world. And that look and those eyes make me every morning think of what I can do better, how I can help others and for me to be a better person.

In these 2 years we’ve been together, I learned something.

LESSON ONE – TRUE EMPATHY AND KINDNESS

I have seen senior people in senior leadership roles mimicking empathy. Listening to you, nodding, and saying repeatedly “Yes, I do understand you”. But do they really? As I see no follow ups, no changes in their behavior towards people they listen to, nothing. It’s just a feel-good interaction for 30 minutes while they fake empathy and make you feel good for a second. “Fake it till you make it”, they say.  But people are not stupid and can feel false empathy at some point. “Fool me once, shame on you, fool my twice shame on me” – we figure it out at some point and we just isolate ourselves from false empathic people. Hope you do because I am doing this 😊

Anyway, back to the doggie.

My father passed away January this year. It was all of a sudden, unexpectedly. We visited my parents last Christmas together with the doggo, just one month before he died. For sure he knew something, for sure he was hiding it from us.

And here it was, the Border Collie covering my dad with his melancholic joy, all the time in his arms, in his lap, walking alongside him. He’s never done that. And we were happy that finally they became friends.

It was a month later, we figured it out the reason why Oscar (yes, that’s doggy’s name) was covering him with love and empathy, being so kind to him. Like saying: “I know you’re in pain, but here I am, full open heart for you. Pet me, hug me, it will make you feel better“. I know for sure my dad enjoyed that time together, I saw him happy, laughing and hugging someone for the last time.

I have seen great business leaders, visionary ones, who can define strategies and implement them by the book. No feelings, just business. A bit of empathy, of bit humanity and kindness – that’s all it takes to become a great leader, not just a business leader. So that people can really feel you’re there for them, not a listening machine.

LESSON TWO – CHARISMA, COURAGE AND ACCOUNTABILITY FOR POOR DECISIONS

My dog is brilliant. Charismatic as hell, with a strong personality. And no matter how much money I’ve spent with his training, he kept his personality. I love that at him. Stubborn but submissive when the case. And he’s fearless. He usually knows when to go wild. But sometimes he doesn’t. He just feels it’s the right thing to do to be bold and take chances. And 90% of the time he’s right. He takes the best decisions ever. But sometimes, he just messes up. And it’s enough one single look from me for him to understand he was wrong. And I can see in his eyes that he understands, he takes accountability, tail between the legs and back to his crate for half an hour until we become friends again. But before we become friends again, he slowly gets his nose and eyes out of the crate staring at me for a sign of forgiveness 😊

You can’t be a leader if you can’t take decisions. And there are people trying to get 100% of the information before they can take a decision. One – you’ll never have 100% of the information. Two – it may become too late to take a decision when you have enough information to take a decision. Indecision is worse than a bad decision.

So often, as a good doggie, we need to take decisions based on a set of information we have at that time, but using our instinct, our gut feeling. An instinct which gets better each time we mess up.

LESSON THREE – WHO LEADS WHO

I often see people saying “I own a dog, I am walking my dog in the park, I am leading my dog”. But do they really? I believe it’s a partnership between a dog and a human. Nobody leads anybody. It’s a symbiosis which works, fulfilling each other needs. Sometimes, I need to get somewhere fast while he walks alongside me. But he’s joyful, stopping by and sniffing everything, playing with other dogs and I have to be a bit tougher in voice and action so that he follows.

Other times, I am just wandering around, headsets on, with my thoughts floating around my head like in a Brownian motion and I just follow him. He knows best how to lead me in those moments.

Like in a team – there are times when the leader takes decisions which are not necessarily popular, but they’re the right ones, and times when the team decides what’s best for them and the leader follows the team’s decision.

LESSON FOUR – Better planning of the day. Each day. Yes, weekends included

I developed daily routines, in the morning and in the evening. No lazy times, no excuses. We need to walk and run together. It was a pain in the beginning. Who wants to run in a morning rain? Who wants to go outside on a January evening at -5 instead of having a nice glass of red wine after a long workday? Not me.

But a boy has his needs, and he needs his active time. And I have to follow.

It did not take long to start enjoying the time we spend together. His joy is contagious. Same as his energy. Like a drug, you always come back for more. Running in the park and in the woods. Fresh air, a bit of sport and joy of being together, high-quality endorphins.

So nowadays, I’m planning my entire day around these activities. Strictly, no excuse to be lazy anymore and with hard stops when i need to. I know when my day starts, and I know when my work finishes.

I was mentioning that glass of red wine. That’s not missing, but it’s just after our time together has finished.

It’s like in a team. Without a plan and without having fun time together, there’s no team. It may be a group of people working together towards a goal. But without a plan and a bit of fun, it easily becomes a pain and a stress.

I don’t personally believe in a 9-to-6 job. If it’s only a job without fun and interpersonal connections, then you may be better running off. Work needs to have a social element to it. Yes, we’re all incentivized by the end goal and impact, but we work alongside other people, and we need to feel good together, right? We spend too much time at work. Why don’t we make it fun?

And in closing, my favorite British comedian Ricky Gervais talking about dogs (I do hope you watched his Netflix show Afterlife).

Control, control, control. That’s what we want, right? To have control of all aspects of our life. It would be so much easier to control the outcome of someone else’s actions. But we all know that’s impossible. So why do we stress so much for the uncontrollable?

Science says exactly what the picture above depicts. There are 3 circles:

• What we can control, one in which we are the masters of the output, our work, our feelings, our words (but that does not mean we can control the impact of our words)
• What we could influence, one in which we can
• And there’s the outer space, whatever we cannot control. Some of the studies you may find on this topic, call this The Circle of Concern. But why would you be concerned about something you cannot control?

I have learned this the hard way, during my transition from hands-on software engineer to first time team lead.

Given my sloppy start in computer science, I knew my chances. I never planned to be a first-class developer to do research and innovation using intense algorithmic programming (though I was ace at math).I always aimed to be a good engineer to solve a business problem no matter the programming language I used. And that worked, I was a good engineer.

I was now a senior software engineer in one of the leading telecom players, part of a 10 people team. My team lead got promoted and my team suddenly ended up with no proper leadership. Given that I was one of the most client and solution-oriented people in the team (not the best developer, to be noted), I was nominated to be in charge of the team.

Never dreamt of that. Never wanted that. What do I do? What’s next? How do I lead others? What does it mean? Thousands of questions and insecurities coming along with a larger paycheck and new responsibilities.

There were nights when I could not sleep. There were days I thought my work is worth nothing. I did not know how to play the role. I had no confidence the team is delivering what the client wants. I was in sync with every developer in my team on a 10-minutes basis. Doing all code reviews for every team member. Being in all the stand-ups and any meeting one of my team members were having with the client. Just to make sure things are going all right…

And this consumed me a lot and found myself fatigued of following up, chasing and controlling (or at least my perception of control, as I was not able to control anything, barely influence).

It took my one full year and external help to figure it out that I was a control freak. And I believe most of us engineers are control freaks, aiming the best for our clients and making sure our solutions are bullet proof. And this works if we act as lone wolves. But it’s never going to work when we work in a team.

TRUST is the key. Trust your team mates. As a team lead, you can grow a culture of ownership, empowerment and fellowship (all for one and one for all). It changes perspectives, morale, and ownership in a team.

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PS: I have more than 20 years experience in software development/engineering industry, I prefer to call software engineers those who look for solutions to business problems, no matter the technology. I do understand software developers’ needs of using latest and shiniest technology. But there’s a big difference between an engineer and a developer. Their motivation is different. Sometimes (but rarely) it can overlap.