{"id":2213,"date":"2019-06-13T07:03:18","date_gmt":"2019-06-13T07:03:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lavenderblush-eland-852205.hostingersite.com\/interview-with-adore-me-cto-5\/"},"modified":"2019-06-13T07:03:18","modified_gmt":"2019-06-13T07:03:18","slug":"interview-with-adore-me-cto-5","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cvbility.com\/ar\/interview-with-adore-me-cto-5\/","title":{"rendered":"Interview with Adore Me CTO"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Bogdan Lucaciu<\/a> is the CTO of Adore Me<\/a>. I had the chance to help his team recruit new colleagues, and got introduced to a puzzling organization.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Adore\n Me has started out as a maverick, challenging the status-quo on the US \nlingerie market, and nowadays not only have they succeeded in this, but \nare also a refreshing presence in the Bucharest tech agora.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To the\n end of this piece Bogdan will voice his own journey with Adore Me, but \nfor now, I\u2019d like to use his example in building a case for a balanced \nattitude towards what comes your way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A bit of context: he is \ncurrently in charge of a tech team of +70 people, and I know for a fact \nthat he\u2019s striving to achieve a democratic way of working. Everyone gets\n involved, takes risks and makes decisions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Can you perceive the \npotential burden there? Interacting with Bogdan, I have observed a few \nhabits that I think can help in dodging some of the stress bullets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Say what you mean, mean what you say<\/em><\/strong>–\n or in other words, assertiveness. I remember one phone call when Bogdan\n asked for an update on a recruitment project, adding that I shouldn\u2019t \nmention who\u2019s to blame for the delay in closing the vacancy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At \nfirst, I found it odd, but then I pondered about the useless pressure we\n slowly build by sugarcoating ourselves too much. Try speaking your \nmind, in a non-aggressive manner; you\u2019ll thank yourself for saving time \nspent on matching thoughts and words.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Don\u2019t embrace assertiveness \nblindly, practice speaking frankly in a safe environment first, then ask\n for feedback and improve the way you\u2019re communicating opinions. We all \nknow that dialogue could have saved us the trouble of one too many \nconflicts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Confidence is silent,<\/em><\/strong>\n and modesty often helps to ease the effort to be constantly wearing the\n I-saved-the-day cape. Though modest is not the first word that comes to\n mind when I speak of Bogdan, I did observe him giving space for \nopinions and debates, mostly in job interviews.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Most of the times,\n Adore Me\u2019s recruitment brief is often simple \u2018get us people that are \nsmarter than us.’ Do you use every chance you get to prove yourself? \nDon\u2019t answer that, but think of the freedom of not having to control \nwhat others think of you. Every once in a while rest in the awareness of\n your own worth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Growth is more important than control.<\/em><\/strong>\n It was encouraging to work with a hiring manager such as Bogdan when a \nhire we made chose to leave after his first month with Adore Me. He was \ngenuinely happy for the guy having left for a better job and was \nassessing the good work he had done in the short time he was their \nemployee.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bogdan and his team did not even qualify this as a \nsetback, but a chance to improve their job specs. By all means, don\u2019t \ndwell in self-indulgence. There are only a few things you actually do \nhave control over, try stressing less about the outcome and focusing \nmore on what you actually can improve.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I encourage you to do some \nobserving of your own. Choose those around you who stand out as being \nfreer than the norm. Work with them, it\u2019s fun. And if you don\u2019t trust me\n here\u2019s Bogdan side of the story.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[Bonus: read between the lines and find out how you could work with him as part of the Adore Me team.]<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Give me a bit of context about Adore Me, why and how did you start it?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Adore\n Me was started by Morgan, a French guy fresh out of Harvard Business \nSchool at the time. We were pretty close from a previous collaboration \nwith my software company.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I initially acted as a technology \nadvisor, but things evolved and I joined as CTO, also merging my \nengineering team into Adore Me at the same time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What kind of entrepreneurial experiences prepared you to go ahead and launch the company?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Funny\n thing is, being CTO at Adore Me is my first real job. I had been \nplaying the entrepreneur for my entire adult life since I was 21 years \nold.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I learned about innovation, research, technology, open \nsource, mentoring, problem-solving, success,  failure,  people, and \ndreams.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How would you assess your experience as Adore Me’s CTO? Give me a few reference points about what you’ve learned so far.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

It’s\n really a personal growth rocket. From a test lab where I could apply my\n technology vision, to having a real understanding of business and \nmarkets, to creating a decentralized, adaptive organization, every year I\n face new realities that shift my personal learning journey to new \nterritory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now that Adore Me Bucharest is established, what is your experience with hiring? What do you look for in a colleague?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I’m\n looking for a good human. Someone you wouldn’t mind being stuck in an \nairport with. Curious, always learning. Compassionate, willing to \ncontribute to others. Sharp, getting stuff done.  And last but not \nleast: masters of their craft.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In your opinion, what makes and breaks a high potential employee?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I think it’s high self-worth and an adaptive mindset.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How would you describe what goes on on the inside? What does the Adore Me team stand for (values, behavior, expertise)?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

It’s\n a bit like a living organism. Things are autonomous but interconnected.\n We are constantly adapting, learning, reinventing ourselves. Lots of \nmoving parts, lots of changes. People are accountable for their work and\n own their stuff. No assholes. We do strive for technical excellence, \nand we do move fast, so balancing the two is an art. We get involved, \ntry to connect to the communities inside and outside the company.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Give me some hints about how to get on-board with Adore Me.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

We’re\n always on the lookout for exceptional people. Come meet us, we often \nhost community events (engineering, product & more) and we have \nawesome specialty coffee to share with you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Recommended Reading:<\/p>\n\n\n\n