There’s more to engineering than just code
Every team has its own rhythm and way of solving problems
After years of leading engineering teams, one thing became clear to me:
a strong team isn’t built only from technical skills or years of experience.
Developers approach the same problem in completely different ways.
Some move fast, iterate quickly and push commits as soon as they validate a fix.
Others dig deep, trace the root cause, and rebuild the foundation so the issue never happens again.
I once worked with two engineers who were complete opposites.
One was a full-stack engineer who could resolve issues incredibly fast.
He would immediately jump into the problem, search, test, and ship a fix.
He kept the pace high and unblocked the team when we were under pressure.
The other was more of a DevOps/BE engineer who always started from first principles.
He didn’t just fix the symptoms—he went deep, traced the root cause and rebuilt the components that needed it.
At first, I wondered if their approaches would clash.
But the opposite happened. They became the best combination.
- One put out the fire immediately
- The other made sure it could never happen again
Together, they delivered the fastest and most stable outcomes.
That experience changed the way I view engineering teams
We often evaluate developers by numbers:
- Commit frequency
- Velocity
- Tech depth
- Years of experience
Those metrics matter, but I learned they’re only one side of the story.
What really directs the flow of a project is personality and mindset:
- How they see and define a problem
- How they react to risk
- How they collaborate
- Whether they optimize for speed or long-term stability
These differences shape the team’s rhythm.
Building an engineering team is more like assembling Lego blocks
Not everyone has to be good at everything.
In fact, it’s often the diversity of styles that fills the gaps and drives the whole team forward.
- Some shine in execution
- Some build stability and architecture
- Some polish and elevate the product to a higher standard
The deeper the project goes, the more those differences matter—and that’s what helps the team grow.
That’s why I believe understanding a developer’s personality is essential
Running a team isn’t just about hiring strong engineers.
It’s about understanding how they solve problems differently
and building an environment where those strengths complement each other.
Technology changes. Tools change.
But people’s instincts and patterns don’t change as quickly.
And those patterns ultimately define the team’s rhythm and performance.
After almost two decades as a developer and CTO, here’s the one thing that stuck with me:
Great teams aren’t just a group of great engineers.
They’re built when different strengths come together and amplify each other.
At the end of the day, engineering is a people-driven discipline.
And once you understand the way people work,
you start to understand what really makes a team successful.