2. Can you tell us about your team and the projects that you are involved in?
I have been working on 3-4 projects over the past year. One of these projects was a long one and had a big team. Since I was leading this, it was a pre-requisite to connect with many people and to develop a great team bond. Apart from this, I have worked on a couple of large-sized projects, that required a lot of exploration, and which is something I really love doing! It’s all very dynamic and thrilling, and I am really enjoying it!
3. In work from home mode, networking and collaboration has been very difficult, with team members working from different places. How did you still manage to ace it?
Well, for me, it has been a 50-50 take. 50% of the people I worked with were those whom I already had a great bond with, which made collaboration quite easy.
For the newbies, it takes time to build trust. The trick I use is to make myself transparent. Being transparent and open is the best way to solve a problem. This creates a sweet spot that can help people bond. I also have a feedback tracker where we record the team’s experiences, shortcomings, goals etc. Transparency and tracking the team’s goals are my 2 tips for a great team bond.
4. How do you onboard a new member into your team, especially virtually?
I have one-on-one connects, at least twice or thrice a month. These connects are completely non-technical and helps me to understand the person better. This has worked out really well for me in building a great bond.
5. What does your typical day look like?
I am a very process-oriented person, hence I plan and schedule my tasks very religiously. I usually begin my day at 8 am and focus on key tasks until 10 am. My team is up by that time, and I am pulled into team meetings and other tasks until about 1 pm. I set aside a good amount of time for family between 1 and 5 pm. I resume my work after this and close the day by 9 pm.
6. What are your other interests/hobbies?
I love to develop new habits and see how far I am able to stick to them. For example, one of these was to start tracking my expenditure way back in 2017; I still continue with this practice. Apart from this I love to binge watch web series, F.R.I.E.N.D.S being my favorite! (I’ve watched it over 18 times!)
7. Lastly, is there any golden rule that you believe in for building a great team rapport?
Involving your team in all decisions. Involving everyone’s ideas in a decision, be it an experienced engineer or a newbie, creates a great impact and greatly boosts the confidence of the entire team, enabling them to contribute more and achieve more.
Written by
Arundhathy S
June 7, 2022