Meister

<p><i><strong>Lejla Herceg’s journey has been one of will and confidence. Three years ago, the Engineering Manager at MeisterLabs moved to Austria with her family. Together, we talk about leadership, self-affirmation and achieving one’s goals.</strong></i></p><p><i>Lejla Herceg has been an Engineering Manager at Meister for the past year. What attracted her to the company? It’s what's in Meister’s DNA: working to build practical tools of colorful beauty. However, Lejla’s journey to a vibrant scale-up in Vienna took hard work and some detours. It all started a few decades ago in Bosnia…</i></p><p><i>Lejla knew very early on what she intended to do in life. Her father already worked in engineering, and from a young age, she grew up surrounded by computers and technology. She excelled at mathematics, and while most children were content to watch TV shows, she wanted to understand how TV actually worked! Science came easily to her; she enjoyed it, and she logically chose this path. She studied electrical engineering and earned a degree in computer science.</i></p><p><i>She took her first jobs as a junior software engineer and worked her way up to technical lead. She was successful in this role, but at some point, she felt the need to take her career in a new direction. Not without hesitation, because she loved what she did and being hands-on, she gradually transitioned towards more managerial roles: service delivery manager, agile coach, engineering manager… acquiring many skills along the way. A wide range of abilities, along with a flexible mindset, would prove incredibly useful when she decided to leave Bosnia a few years later.</i></p><p><i>Lejla and her husband had thought about moving to another country for a while. As their son was approaching six, they knew the time was right. They had momentum and wanted to give their child the opportunity to discover the world outside the Balkans.</i></p><p><i>Three years ago, Lejla Herceg and her family left everything they had known behind and moved to Austria.</i></p><h2>Meister: A New Beginning in a Colorful Place&nbsp;</h2><p>I didn’t go straight to Meister when I arrived in Austria. I applied for several positions. My first concern was certainly not finding my dream job at once: my priority was making our move a success.</p><h3>Finding Meister</h3><p>I landed my first job in Austria as a Senior Agile Coach for a famous digital bank. Coaching has always been something I liked. Indeed, at Meister, it’s an important part of my job. However, being only a coach, I was missing the managerial aspects of work, and I wanted to be in a technical decision-making position again, leading engineering teams. One year later, I was ready to look for a job that would suit me better.</p><p>Meister was looking for a profile like mine, and if I accepted this position, it would bring me back to engineering. Several things immediately appealed to me. Firstly, I loved the type of products they made: beautiful tools for the workplace. Most importantly, although they’re an Austrian-based company, they operate globally, and the official workplace language is English, which would facilitate my integration into the company. As a bonus, I could work in hybrid mode. And the final push, perhaps, was that the VP of Engineering is a woman. She would be my direct manager, which made me very happy.</p><p>Almost all the ideal conditions were met: I joined the company. I have been with Meister for over a year.</p><h3>Helping Teams Be Problem-Solvers</h3><p>Of course, as always in Tech, no two days are the same. Does this sound cliché? Well, it’s not!</p><p>A big part of my job is helping my team members perform at their best. I must make sure that they don’t run into roadblocks they find overwhelming. Most days, I meet with at least one of my people in a one-to-one: these meetings are my main tool for working with those that report to me.</p><p>I also spend a lot of time in conversations with our product managers to take stock of progress, blockages, successes, and so on. Meister has established a meeting-free Wednesday policy. This is the day I can tackle non-speaking tasks, reporting, planning, thinking about problems, etc.</p><p>Sometimes I’d like to work more on the technical aspects of my job, finding practical solutions and solving problems, just to keep my skills sharp. But I must prioritize, and my number one priority is the well-being and efficiency of my team. I have to create the right environment and space where they can be problem-solvers themselves.</p><h3>Team spirit: Unity in Hybrid Mode</h3><p>Over the past months, we’ve already accomplished a lot together. For example, we released an important and long-awaited feature for MeisterTask. This is a project we started almost as soon as I joined Meister; that was quite an onboarding! We managed, and users are happy with it, which helped the company gain even more customers. I’m proud of my contribution in such a short time!</p><p>I think that a big part of that success lies in how we function as a team. I’ve made some great hires, and we’re a really good team. Even though we work in hybrid mode, with different locations and timelines, we work well together. That’s certainly a source of pride for me because it’s one of the most challenging subjects for today’s managers.</p><p>Team spirit is more important now than ever. At Meister, we have quarterly in-office days. Although it’s not mandatory, most people come to the office on those days. We also spend quality time together as a team; a nice dinner, a couple of drinks… Once a year, Meister organizes their Hackfest: for a few days, the whole company gets together in a nice place outside Vienna, where we take workshops, hear keynotes, and hang out.</p><p>Communication has become a key word in virtual workplaces: ‘What do we need to achieve in two days, two weeks, two months?’ Emphasizing goals ensures that everything is clear to everyone and increases the likelihood that everyone will move in the same direction.</p><h2>Women in Tech: Ignoring the Noise</h2><p>I remember being surrounded by male students when I was younger; we may have been, maybe, 10% of women in our classes. But I knew who I was and what I wanted, and listening to noise wasn’t on the agenda.</p><h3>Never Create the Bias You Fear</h3><p>Today, women still face inequalities even in the most developed countries. Despite significant progress, disparities persist in areas such as pay, career advancement opportunities, and representation in leadership positions. Women often encounter challenges related to work-life balance, access to certain professions, and biases and stereotypes. Faced with these realities, I decided early on that they wouldn’t define my experience. I chose to empower myself and overcome these obstacles.</p><p>When you’re told that you can’t, that you don’t have it in you… it doesn’t matter what the naysayers are telling you or about you: just prove them wrong! Of course, no one can deny reality, and sometimes reality is unfair; it’s the truth of life. But we should never listen to the noise that tries to hold us back.</p><p>Maybe I was fortunate, but I can’t recall a single occasion where I felt like I was treated differently because of my gender. I refuse to believe that was ever the case.</p><p>Believing that we’re victims makes us real victims. I’m not the quiet type. I’m not shy, and I’m always ready to fight for what I deserve! So, there is that. That’s the one thing I would advise young girls: ‘Just ignore the fact that you’re, indeed, a woman. In other words, don’t let it be part of the equation. Ignore the gender. Don’t corner yourself and create the bias you fear by thinking you’re going to be treated differently.’ Because the moment you open that door, you’re inviting gender inequality into your life. And never accept mistreatment: there should be zero tolerance for any form of discrimination in the workplace or anywhere else for that matter. The worst would be to accept it or witness situations and remain silent. And I’m glad to say that Meister doesn’t compromise on this.</p><h3>Always Embrace the Woman in You</h3><p>Another piece of advice I would give to a young woman, or anyone for that matter: stay true to yourself. Never apologize for just being there. Chances are you’ve worked hard to get into the position you have. Whether it’s your gender, ethnicity, or a specific trait, be proud of who you are and how far you’ve come.</p><p>It’s very common for me to find myself in a room surrounded only by men. The name of the game: Remain authentic! Be proud of the woman you are in such a situation: you worked hard to get there and you deserve to be in that room!</p><p>Recently I attended a workshop. We were asked to share something interesting about ourselves. So I said, ‘Okay, I have something. I’m a breastfeeding consultant.’</p><p>It’s true! I’m a certified peer-to-peer lactation consultant. My HR manager was like: ‘Are you sure? Isn’t that too private to share?’ But why not? I was like, no, I want to share it. I’m proud of it. I’m proud to be able to advise new mums. This is something no man in the room can do. If some were put off by this, that’s on them!</p><h2>The way Ahead</h2><p>I’ve never regretted my choices. Everything I worked for and experienced led me to my position today, and I feel that everything was a useful learning curve.</p><h3>Build the Knowledge and the Skills You Need, and Carry On</h3><p>Maybe I would change one thing. Before moving to Austria, I worked for 10 years for one of the best software development companies in Sarajevo and the region. This gave me a great opportunity to work with many different clients and on various projects. Still, 10 years in the same place when you’re at the start of your career, that’s definitely long. I’m not saying that you should hop from one job to the next, but learning about the operations of different companies is, in my opinion, a better way to learn. So that may be the one thing I would change in my journey.</p><p>I truly feel like Meister is a place where I can change and grow. Meister is a company that helps you design your career path and defines what is expected of you to achieve your goals. I know what is expected of me to move from my current position to the next. I’ve already started to acquire the knowledge and skills I’ll need. When the opportunity presents itself, I’ll be ready.</p><h3>Five Years From Now</h3><p>As engineering managers move into higher positions, they become less technical. Right now, I’m back in engineering after my stint in coaching, and I’m happy where I am. Skilled managers know how to talk to people and empower them to take action. You sometimes hear that meetings drain energy: if this is the case, then leadership isn’t the right path for you. I see myself moving into more senior engineering leadership positions. I love working with people, advising them, and leading them.</p><p>As for the long-term future, I envision a life where I continue to inspire, mentor, and coach emerging leaders in the tech world, leveraging my extensive experience to drive positive change. And write a book. Yeah. Maybe a book, maybe. You know, that sounds like an interesting option…</p>

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