It has already been half of 2022, how has the IT sector gone through? Have you noticed any significant difference between 2021 and 2022?
Yes, I have noticed one - first of all, the first signs of recession or concerns about it. It is harder to find a new client or persuade the current one to introduce innovations - in larger companies, the management gives recommendations to cut budgets, if possible.
It is definitely a hard time for the global business sector and economy, how has your work as a Team Leader changed? Do you see more need for motivation among employees?
I see that my co-workers need a more responsible, empathetic but also self-confident way of management. As times are uncertain, people want to know all the more about what and why we are doing, what the effect is supposed to be, and what the backup plan is should the current strategy turn out to be wrong.
What are your personal tips on motivation and goal setting?
In my personal goal setting, I do not rely on motivation or my mood, I follow the model of the Japanese psychiatrist Shoma Morita:
- Accept your feelings;
- Know your purpose;
- Do what needs doing.
In addition, I try to set myself 5 main goals every day that brings me closer to my vision of what kind of person I want to be, and 5 these daily victories in areas that bring me closer to my goals.
How would you describe the current situation in the IT labor market in Poland? Does the industry face ups or downs in specialists number on this market?
There is a significant disproportion between the number of juniors and available entry positions. In addition, there is strong competition between employers for more experienced specialists at the Mid or Senior level. The situation was additionally made more difficult by the fact of the pandemic and the spread of remote work – a promising candidate can now work for a company located several thousand kilometers from home, without any problems.
How has the IT recruitment process changed? Are there any brand-new requirements for the applicants?
What I noticed is the increase in the number of requirements for candidates – today Junior must be able to do much more than a few years ago. Certainly, I notice more and more interest among companies for the candidate to have the opportunity to show good results of work in a group – more and more emphasis is put on interpersonal skills, which also require training, which many candidates forget about.
What are the most effective tools to adapt the newest hired employees to the company? How to make their adaptation process less stressful?
The onboarding process is always stressful for a new person. What we can do to get through it faster and easier is:
- Select a mentor to whom the person will be able to turn;
- Prepare a "cheat sheet" with basic information on the functioning of the company and the office itself, processes operating in the company, and showing which matters are specifically responsible for new colleagues.
Thanks to this, we can minimize the number of questions that would not have to arise.
Choosing between Agile, Waterfall, Kanban, and Scrum, which is more, effective and resultative in your view? What are the top reasons for picking one of them?
Based on my experience, SCRUM is the most effective, because it allows you to see problems at the earliest possible stage, gives continuous contact to people involved in a given project, and enables the efficient exchange of information regarding project work.
How to unstress the adaptation process to one of those models for the newly hired employees? Could you give some practical tips?
Again, personally I am a fan of cheat sheets and process solutions, so a short cheat sheet showing the basics of working in this system in our company will be a great help for a new employee. In addition, the fastest possible implementation through adaptation – the new person should participate in SCRUM meetings from the very beginning, even to observe what they look like.
How has the job of the Team Leader job changed during latest 5 years? What do you expect from this job in the future? What trends are more predictably coming?
Expectations for the position of Team Leader have changed a lot in the last few years - but from my point of view, these are positive changes. Companies are less and less willing to keep "Masters of Ordering" in their ranks, and they need Leaders who are able to roll up their sleeves and start working hard with their team.
Task automation is starting to play a big role – I think it will continue to do so in the future. I expect that in the future, more value as a Team Leader will be in adapting to changes and getting the best out of them, rather than building completely constant and unchangeable frameworks in all areas.
The dynamics of development are so great that it is difficult to keep up with it – more value can be seen in proper risk management and balancing than in the blind belief that risk can be completely eliminated.
What are your personal tips to keep up with trends as a Team Leader? May you list some of those trends?
Learn all the time, constantly gain knowledge, be able to "unlearn" what you already know, and switch to a different model of action. It does not matter how many years you have been working in a given position – it does matter what new knowledge you have learned and whether you have made an attempt to implement this knowledge in your team. It is a good idea to participate in all kinds of groups at the local level, bringing together specialists from our area – the exchange of experiences and knowledge is always an electrifying experience.
