In the latest instalment of our “Grown, not Born” interview series, we sat down with Andreea Gherman. This series provides insight into the journeys of remarkable leaders and their personal experiences with  management.

Andreea Gherman is a Senior Director Manager at Moody’s, where she leads the engineering team that was formerly a part of PassFort, a company now acquired by Moody’s. Before joining Passfort, Andreea worked as a software engineer at Google, Amazon and Signac. She has an extensive background in managing teams, leveraging the time spent at these leading tech firms. Andreea shared her insights into successful team management in an interview with our founder, Sarah Touzani.

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Sarah: Let's start by discussing your experience as a manager. Can you tell me about your first few months in a managerial role and what you found most challenging?

‍Andreea: Sure, initially, my day-to-day didn’t change as much since I was still hands-on. The most challenging part was reframing the rapport with my team. I wasn’t their peer anymore, but their manager. I’m sure this is something familiar to many managers who grow into this role from an IC background. It’s a balancing act we have to be aware of.

Sarah: Can you share a significant learning experience from a mistake or failure as a manager?

Andreea: One significant lesson I learned was to not delay or soften feedback, regardless of mitigating circumstances. Trusting people is important, but reinforcing expectations early is crucial.

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Trusting people is important, but reinforcing expectations early is crucial.

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‍Sarah: How do you assess performance within your team, including your own performance?

Andreea: I think it’s important to have a continuous assessment. Set clear objectives and then provide and receive regular feedback. I assess my performance based on both my and my team’s objectives. However, I also have my own assessment outside the business context - against my personal goals, which helps me keep things in perspective.

Sarah: What unique challenges have you faced with remote or hybrid work settings, and how have you addressed them?

Andreea: I'm still addressing them, but one challenge worth mentioning has been slow onboarding. People need to make an effort to meet their peers and can’t rely on informal chats to get to know their team and absorb knowledge. To tackle this, we have implemented an extensive onboarding program, and most importantly, quarterly in-person workshops.

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People need to make an effort to meet their peers and can’t rely on informal chats to get to know their team and absorb knowledge.

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Sarah: How do you balance the needs of individual team members with those of the team as a whole?

Andreea: While everyone may need extra support at times, it shouldn't affect the team’s morale. I start with clear boundaries to maintain this balance. For example, when I notice I go through a more stressful period, I make sure to carve enough time off for myself - even if it’s just small breaks - so I can show up at 100% for my team. For the team, I observe changes in attitude and have conversations to address any negative shifts.

Sarah: How do you ensure that your team's work aligns with the broader goals of the organization?

Andreea: We use OKRs proposed by teams to meet the business objectives. Every quarter each team presents these OKRs. They receive feedback to make sure they align with the business goals.

Sarah: What strategies do you use to prioritize tasks when everything seems urgent?

Andreea: I use a few “buckets”: what needs to be done by me vs. who can help with other tasks, and then what will unblock other people, and what really cannot be postponed.

Sarah: In the next 12 months, what managerial-related goal do you want to achieve?

Andreea: My goal is to empower my team to be fully self-sufficient so that I can focus on strategy. This involves ensuring I identify and fill in any skills gaps, while also establishing the right operational cadence and feedback loops.

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My goal is to empower my team to be fully self-sufficient so that I can focus on strategy.

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‍Sarah: What tools or technologies have you found essential in managing your team effectively?

Andreea: Skip level 1:1s and a well-organized calendar with repeat meetings and agendas have been essential for me. I wish we had a tool that combined OKRs, Jira, and reminders all in one to minimize time lost in context-switching.

Sarah: Finally, what animal would you compare your management style to?

Andreea: I'd say Romanian shepherd dog.

Sarah: Perfect, thank you so much for your time