How Mihai works (and a bit of why)

Third person ends here. Short and to the point - this describes my current work philosophy (an evolving post). Not representative of anyone else working for same company or for me working at other companies in the past.

I...

1. like getting hard stuff done and building resilient systems and teams that do. Able to do lots of what I (or others) don't like (routine, low level, manual tasks) for the mission and relationships I value.

2. work for businesses and with people that make me excited enough to jump out of the bed in the morning (or at night). Aligned identity and values are important - life is short. My personal experience proves the sweet spot below exists only if one allows themself to believe it (or see others attain it) and work hard and smart. There is no other shortcut.

3. don't force work into hours but put hours into work. Rarely a work day can be 4 hours but more probably 14 hours and that is fine with me. I carry on as long as I am at a productive pace and there is no point beating a dead horse (a dog alive is better than a lion dead). If I like something I want to do more of it - not less. Why would one have a job they don't want to do more of? And of course, be rewarded. In good time.

4. try to avoid burnout by working remotely. Burnout still carries stigma but I can't compare to parents of newborns. Flexibility is my framework for keeping long term balance by having space for decompression or breaks. Enforcing short term balance every day would stunt my growth and impact. Rome wasn't built with years of maximum of 8 hours a day and a lunch break at 1pm for at least 1 hour. Maybe that's my Roman/Romanian view.

5. maintain high availability and low response time - Slack and emails go in the same bucket (my personal phone) as talking to friends and family. One can skip the "Hi!" and hit me directly and expect a reply soon even on asynchronous channels (if I understand and acknowledge the urgency). There will be exceptions (good sleep is a great achievement and rest and recovery are work too). I accept if one prefers staying in touch differently.

6. put out fires and unblock others as my top priority. I'd rather do more today than have it on my mind till tomorrow. Always happy to cover for someone else. Love multitasking and context switching - can't be a DevOps engineer without being proactive or reacting fast (or a mythic 10x beast).

7. prioritize tasks based on importance/urgency/significance (see image below). If low on morale or dopamine depleted there are always quick tasks or tech debt fixes for a boost. If something goes in the background then I pick something else in parallel. I prefer to work in bursts and don't track time on tasks - only screen time per week using WakaTime.

8. make things work first, improvements will happen later. Is it shipped or forever in flux? Done is better than perfect (just like this post). At least apparently for closure and stress reduction. I will always be a generalist and someone keen to optimize, automate and practice Kaizen.

9. make my initiatives and progress visible early and wide across the organization as a way of committing and being accountable. Feedback is welcome at any stage and in the most direct manner - can appreciate and take bluntness and radical honesty. I do the same with who can.

10. find myself stuck sometimes but try to think if there's something more I can try or do better before asking for help - time boxed if possible. Interrupting others has a cost.

11. use questions and empathy (corny some might say) and over-communicate with the aim to make visible what shouldn't be invisible. Picking the right channel is important for conveying the appropriate tone and nuance. I trust from the start and expect to be trusted but also be challenged as I challenge others' assumptions. Data-driven decisions preferred.

12. will always be ready to justify the value I bring (hopefully great for the buck). Or go if I messed up. If it can be fixed I'll be there to (or "too"). With autonomy and responsibility might come consequences. I aim to offer before I receive and pay it forward. And just like we do in parkour, if you drop you also roll. Just not back.

13. am not shying away to say "no" or "I don't know" - it builds character and tames the ego. The higher one gets the more one is aware that there's a lot they don't know - admit it. It's a pleasure and goal to be in a space where one can acknowledge it as a team lead, individual contributor or as a squad (or even business) and then go figure out how to learn and say "yes".

14. talk fast sometimes. With certain means of communication this can lead to an unintended escalation or perception of animus. The half-good jokes of my British side don't help. I try to slow down and check-in and listen to make sure I got the context. I'm naturally enthusiastic but also try my best to be mindful of cultural and personal differences.

15. have fun, build connections and make good memories - sometimes history gets made.

If you like what you just read and my work please get in touch - I might be hiring.