Meet the team lead: Anatoli
Anatoli has been working with us for more than a year, and we can say that he is a very optimistic and practical person. Anatoli believes a one-man army exists, but a team is much more effective. Sports, video games, and fantasy literature are his best stress killers.
Q: Take us back to your first days of programming, what hooked you in the beginning? Why did you choose QA?
It was 5 years ago when I saw that QA testers have to perform many repetitive tasks every day. I tried to automate the most annoying of them and saw that programming saves me a lot of time. Why QA? Because everyone wants to be a Superman, but only a small part of the IT community understands that without Batman everything will be not perfect.
Q: Tell us please about StaffCapital. What were your first impressions when you started working with them?
I was the first QA in this friendly team and I was happy to see that the company is ready to implement new things, which sped up the development processes and made things smoother. Awesome teammates, nicest managers, fast feedback, interesting motivation philosophy, high level of loyalty and support.
Q: Working for a Dutch company involves also interacting with people from another culture. Do you think this is a positive experience? If yes, why?
I am sure it is a positive moment in our job. We cannot isolate ourselves and work only with Moldova or neighboring countries. It is also an opportunity to prove that our generation is open-minded and already follows all EU principles. We are able to see how Dutch people organize their day-to-day tasks and respect their work-life balance which also helps us widen our horizons.
Q: What do you like most about working with StaffCapital?
I like the freedom that this job offers me, and the easy communication with my Dutch colleagues. Backstage extended teams play an important role here and the surprises are a very nice bonus, of course.
Q: What is your definition of “team”?
A group of people that even though separately can be different, work-wise have common goals, ideas, and vibes.
Q: What drives you forward today?
The confidence and trust that the company and the team have in me – that’s what makes me be enthusiastic about my job.
Q: If you could turn back time, would you choose the same path?
Inborn leads will always find a way to fulfill their mission. Regardless of the decisions you make, destiny will lead you on the right path. And I wouldn’t change a thing even if I could, because in this role and with this team I feel like I’m in the right place.
Q: Any advice for those who want to succeed in their career?
Don’t ever be afraid of changes, and don’t hesitate to take chances. Always be confident about yourself and your team.
Q: Do you think business trips to the Netherlands would be necessary in order to keep the team spirit alive? If yes, why?
The team spirit is already alive, but I think that the business trip makes it stronger. After our trip, we realized that we have colleagues in the Netherlands, who listen to us, respect us, and are even very curious to find out our ideas for improving work processes, and the project itself. Besides that, they are cheerful, and welcoming and they made sure that we spend the time as nicely as possible and visit many interesting places. This made us feel even more proud that we are part of an extended team and have the opportunity to be part of a double culture ring. I hope our Dutch colleagues also liked their business trips to Moldova.
Q: Let’s talk war stories. What’s your favorite memory in the trenches of a QA Lead?
My favorite memory is the time when I was forming my QA team for the current company. At first, they were all skeptical to change their job or trying a new company, or a new project, but I managed to attract them, and now we form an integrated team of professionals, eager to always learn something new and apply their knowledge in practice. Sometimes I still joke with them about that period.
Q: What makes a Good QA Lead an Effective Leader?
Good planning, motivation to help other colleagues, excluding to overload other team members, ready to listen and to give good advice, sometimes easygoing, and to encourage the team and motivate them to work together to achieve the common goal.
Q: Who/what drives you forward today?
The possibility of experimenting a lot drives me forward, it makes my job also entertaining; the office motivation program, my flexible working horse, and the trust I have in my team.
Q: What are you most proud of from your time in this role?
I am proud that I have such a nice & professional team. They are all constantly kaizen-ing and I can inspire them or help with their responsibilities. We have a lot of tasks to do, but still, we are working without stress, in a cozy environment.
Q: If you could turn back time, would you choose the main path?
I think that I would buy at least one bitcoin and get an EU passport, but BackstageIT would definitely have a pin on my roadmap.
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