Name: Vinay Pinnaka

Title: Co-Founder

Organisation: JustPaid

Before co-founding JustPaid, Vinay was an accomplished Software Engineer at Komodo Health and a Senior Software Engineer at Invitae. His career roster includes roles at DrChrono and Cerner Corporation as a Software Engineer, and a position as a Graduate Research and Teaching Assistant at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, where he assisted with teaching programming languages and debugging code.

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

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

Cheers,

Jonno White

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

Hiring the right candidate for the job is the most challenging aspect. I strongly believe that the most important task of a leader is to build a strong team that can act autonomously, even in the absence of the leader or manager. Finding the right candidate with the necessary skill set and cultural fit is definitely challenging. If a leader has not made the right judgment while hiring, it can disrupt the team and drag down its productivity.

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

My journey to leadership began when I was working at Drchrono. There, I had the opportunity to mentor new engineers on the team. I thoroughly enjoyed sharing my knowledge and helping my mentees to excel in their roles. This mentoring role gradually evolved into a partial technical lead position, where I assisted in directing the team's roadmap and resolving external dependencies.

This was my firsthand experience as a leader, and I found the roles and responsibilities immensely fulfilling. The experience I gained there paved the way for my successful tenure at JustPaid, where I now serve as a technical leader and engineering manager.

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

I religiously follow Paul Graham's approach, as outlined in his article about the maker's schedule and manager's schedule. As a startup founder, he mentions the necessity of wearing multiple hats, both as an individual contributor and as a people manager. However, context switching can be a significant time killer when juggling these roles.

He suggests organizing the day so that there are no interruptions during the maker schedule, while fulfilling all duties without interruption during the manager schedule. I plan my day according to his suggestion.

Most of my meetings are scheduled early in the morning, where my input as a technical founder is crucial, whether it's to convince a prospective client, brainstorm a product idea, or conduct one-on-one sessions with team members. In the afternoons, I block my calendar for no meetings, dedicating this time solely to development. This helps me stay focused and minimizes context switching.

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

I've learned the importance of categorizing employees based on their skill and motivation levels and the appropriate ways to support each category. This approach has been eye-opening in managing team dynamics effectively.

- Low Skill, Low Motivation: These employees can be challenging. It's crucial to provide them with opportunities for improvement and growth. However, if there's no progress, it may be necessary to make tough decisions for the team's benefit.

- High Skill, Low Commitment: These team members are capable of exceptional work but might lack drive. To boost their commitment, start with recognition and praise, then challenge them to stretch their abilities. This can ignite their motivation.

- High Loyalty, Low Skill: These loyal and motivated individuals often stick with the company for the long haul. Their output, however, might not always meet expectations. Enhancing their skill set through targeted training and leading projects can significantly improve their performance.

- High Skill, High Motivation: These are the 10x employees, invaluable to any team. They combine exceptional skill with a strong drive. Retaining these individuals is crucial as they are fundamental to the team's success and can inspire others.

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?

"Radical Candor" by Kim Scott has significantly influenced my approach to leadership. In this book, Kim delves into the balance of not being overly compassionate while simultaneously challenging team members to achieve better results. She outlines a framework for leaders to foster a culture of constant feedback, build cohesive teams, and focus on results-oriented strategies.

This book has been instrumental in transforming my management style. It taught me the value of offering appreciation and then presenting challenges to employees. This approach has proven to be more effective in motivating the team and driving performance. "Radical Candor" has been a guide in helping me develop a leadership style that is both supportive and demanding, which I believe is crucial for any successful leader.

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

For any young leader, my key piece of advice would be to focus on building a results-oriented team rather than a team engaged in superficial work. It's crucial to create a culture that encourages a constant feedback cycle. This environment should not only challenge the team to achieve better results but also recognize and appreciate their good work.

Cultivating such a culture ensures that the team's efforts are aligned with tangible outcomes and that their achievements are acknowledged, which is essential for sustaining motivation and driving success.

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

I am someone who tends to remember my failures more than my successes. One experience that stands out as a cautionary tale in my leadership career involved hiring an individual whom I initially believed to be a '10x engineer'. However, it turned out that this engineer was more of a con artist, maintaining secrecy and ultimately violating the company's culture and ethics.

This incident has been a significant lesson for me. It serves as a constant reminder of the importance of thorough vetting and understanding the true character of potential employees before bringing them into the team. It's a lesson I intend to carry with me in all future hiring decisions.