Kiranbir, we’re delighted to have you at AITech Park, could you please share your professional journey with us, highlighting key milestones that led you to your current role as a Senior Staff Engineering Manager at Google?
I started as a software engineer at Garmin then Apple. As I grew my career at Apple, I wanted to help and lead my peers the way my mentors helped me. I also had an arrogant epiphany about how much more I could get done if I had a team of people just like me. That led to my first management role at Microsoft.
Initially, I found it challenging to balance my desire to have my team work my way with prioritizing their career growth. Eventually, I was responsible for a program where I had to design, develop, and ship an accessory for the Hololens in only six months. I was forced to delegate and let go of specific aspects and realized I was getting in the way of progress.
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My team was delivering amazing solutions I never would have thought of. I realized I didn’t need to build a team in my image. I had hired a talented team with unique skills. My job now was to empower them and get out of their way. This realization was eye-opening and humbled me.
I also realized the skills I used for engineering weren’t the same skills I needed to be an effective leader. So I started focusing on being a good manager. I learned from even more mistakes over the years and ultimately established three core values for every team I lead
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