I'm the veteran of 5 startups (including GitLab). I've only ever worked for startups. I'm geared for growth.
I like learning. My previous startups have been in marketing technology, localization software, video streaming, and aerospace.
I believe in the servant-leader model. Management is a specialty like Frontend, Backend, Security, or DevOps. And that means aptitude comes with an imperative to make others' around you better by this skill. There is no prestige in reporting lines: your manager should be whomever makes you most effective, regardless of level.
Emotionally, I never get too high, or too low. A strength is I never have 'hair-on-fire' moments. A weakness is that I could be better at the inspirational style of motivation that comes from stirring speeches, and whatnot. I commonly hear that I am 'difficult to read'. You're likely overthinking it: just take me at face value.
I value communication more than most engineering leaders. It's the mortar between the bricks that allows us to build massive projects
My email inbox is my to do list. Everything gets read, actioned, answered, and archived. 100% SLA.
I always keep my promises. And I greatly value people that do the same. I sometimes wonder if those who gracefully let the tail-end of their backlog slip through the cracks are more effective and efficient, but I can't bring myself to allow that to happen
I come from a non-traditional engineering background. I studied Philosophy in college and programmed on the side. Nevertheless, I went back and painted in my skill set with computer science fundamentals. I recommend that all self-taught programmers do the same.
In addition to engineering teams I've also managed designers, localization professionals, and support staff
Besides the project and company we're creating, I think it's important to society that we figure out how remote-only work can scale because it's better for people and the environment
