Episode 84

Platform Engineering with Kaspar von Grünberg

Kaspar von Grünberg has extensive experience running software companies, as well as monitoring and evaluating non-profit organizations. His current role is founder and CEO of Humanitec, a product that enables companies to construct internal developer platforms that are self-service, reducing operational obligations. In this episode of Unlearn, he and Barry O’Reilly discuss becoming world class.

Becoming World Class

“I'm telling everybody who works with me: you don't have to be world class today, but you have to know, ‘What is my relative position to elite status?’" Kaspar believes that everyone can fulfill their highest potential, and that a leader’s job is to facilitate this. His father’s early advice about choosing the right advisors directly influenced his approach to leadership. He tells Barry, "There is a lot you have to learn and you have to learn that really fast." As such, having the right mentors is crucial. One company in particular shaped how he saw the CEO’s responsibility to his team: they rewarded high-profile consultants with double stock options in exchange for their assistance in specific areas. This taught him the importance of rewarding dedication while motivating his team to achieve more. The CEO has a duty to assist his people in bridging the gap between their current level and elite status, Kaspar remarks. It’s therefore important to seek help when you need it, he says. Barry agrees, "I've always been astounded at how helpful people can be if you're sincere, if you show up and just be yourself, if you say ‘I'm trying to get better at this, can you help me?’" [Listen from 1:45]

Of Mentors and Men

Mentorship is a powerful way to bolster your company’s growth, Kaspar and Barry agree. Kaspar’s experience over the years has shown that there’s a correlation between professional maturity and effective problem-solving skills. He also observed that senior and junior personnel approach problem solving differently: senior staff members usually start inquiry with basic questions before delving deeper to find answers to urgent problems. This is the model he wants all his employees to adopt, and mentorship is an effective way to make this happen. That’s why he looks for humility and coachability when hiring new talent. Mentors can identify solutions quickly when they are matched with juniors who share their skill set. “It's not only about finding the right mentors… but also curating whom you listen to thoroughly and executing this,” says Kaspar. Barry adds that mentor alignment fosters humility because mentors and businesses would both be forced to step aside in the event of a misalignment. [Listen from: 10:20]

Bridging The Gap

Kaspar admits that although his background in development wasn't particularly strong, he questioned the tactics used by renowned companies. He saw a gap in the market which spurred him to develop platforms to deal with the issues in the space. Many of the industry challenges had psychological underpinnings, his research led him to understand. Some of these included monopolizing key projects and domains, which left businesses without knowledge when personnel left, along with concerns with abstraction. His observations were guided by the following questions:

• How can you reduce cognitive load so that developers can actually focus on the business logic?

• How can you design systems that drive standardization by design?

Barry explores how this approach could help Nobody Studios achieve its objective of founding 100 companies. He intends to use the ‘paved road system’, which is a business strategy that allows for creative deviations. [Listen from 16:50]

Building With Confidence

To achieve outstanding results, you typically have to disregard common ideas about work ethic. “If you don't believe that doing something faster will yield 10% more, then you don't believe in personal growth and in growth of your company,” Kaspar argues. Similarly, he believes leaders should unlearn ideas about abstraction. “Intelligent opaque abstraction that doesn't go at the expense of context, is actually a good thing for your career,” he points out. Context must be taken into account so that developers produce worthwhile products. Barry agrees and comments on the unique confidence required to build a system that incorporates the developer's whole skill set, that would ultimately render the developer redundant. Kaspar posits that it’s the developer's responsibility to make the product inviting so that users won't be intimidated by it. He advises developers to avoid getting too attached to their work because it would be counterproductive if the product fails. He thinks that we should abandon the idea that a person's self-worth is dependent on their employment. “This notion of defining yourself by the tools you use you're going to struggle because technology is going to change, the world is going to change,” Barry remarks. [Listen from 27:30]

Looking Forward

Kaspar thinks that the development industry is evolving and he plans to develop more specialized solutions. His ongoing passion is creating thriving knowledge-based communities. “Every single day I have people reaching out and contributing and sharing ideas,” he says. “I hope that is something that continues in the end.” He also thinks that since developers influence public opinion, it is their duty to be watchful of the messages their designs project. [Listen from 37:55]

I give talks all over the world, sharing my expertise, insights and stories of my own and others’ learning and unlearning.