Name: Jonathan Weinberger

Title: CEO

Organisation: GameDevHQ

I'm a seasoned software engineer known for crafting innovative solutions. Founder of GameDevHQ, in partnership with Unity Technologies, we've educated 100,000+ individuals worldwide. My expertise spans game development for Cartoon Network, Adult Swim, and indie studios, along with enterprise and AR applications for Coca-Cola, AT&T, GE, and ThyssenKrupp. I've provided tailored training to Fortune 500 giants, leading to a structured curriculum fostering careers in games and software.

Thank you to the 2,000 leaders who’ve generously done the 7 Questions on Leadership!

I hope Jonathan's answers will encourage you in your leadership journey. Enjoy!

Cheers,

Jonno White

1. What have you found most challenging as a leader?

The most challenging aspect of being a leader is knowing you're making the right forward decisions. Many times in our company, due to the nature of our startup, we have had to make pivots. When making these pivots, ensuring this is the best decision for the company, the team, etc can be quite challenging.

2. How did you become a leader? Can you please briefly tell the story?

I started programming when I was 16. Obsessed over making it in this industry without the traditional college degree and fell in love with game development as a gateway to software engineering. I wanted to help change the lives of so many who didn't have the means to go to college. I wanted to help people earn higher wages and provide for their families.

3. How do you structure your work days from waking up to going to sleep?

Whatever is on my calendar for the day is how it goes. I don't start my day at 5am, read 12 books a month, etc. That's all bullshit. I focus on the immediate goals of the business and work my way through it. As a business owner, I'm always "on" -- I enjoy the work I do. I often work 60-100 hours a week on GameDevHQ. I don't expect anyone ever to work as hard as I do.

4. What's a recent leadership lesson you've learned for the first time or been reminded of?

Data. While instant gratification is something I crave, allowing enough time to collect data to make informed decisions is important.

5. What's one book that has had a profound impact on your leadership so far? Can you please briefly tell the story of how that book impacted your leadership?

EOS by Gino Wikman I think. It changed how I view my business and gave me the structure I needed to scale.

6. If you could only give one piece of advice to a young leader, what would you say to them?

Chase your passion. Focus on building the best product and the money will come.

7. What is one meaningful story that comes to mind from your time as a leader, so far?

My COO started as a consultant for us and through my leadership of ownership and compassion for others, she joined us full-time. She has helped us grow from 2 to 10 employees and has free'd up my time to focus on the growth of the business. Allow your employees to do their jobs and they'll do them well.