"I come from a military upbringing, I was comfortable telling people what to do" with Ivan Zarea (Engineering Manager‪)‬ Heart Leadership with Pooja Shankar

The guest on today's episode is Ivan Zarea. He is an engineering manager at Netlify, building a diverse and inclusive engineering team that builds a better web. Before Covid, he used to organize the Lead Developer Amsterdam meetup — a community of engineering leaders united in their quest for building better teams.In today's episode, we talk about vulnerability as a leader. We don't start our careers being empathetic because we are afraid of looking weak. Ivan shares his personal journey. He started off being very comfortable telling people what to do and that's not always a bad thing, in his opinion. He came from a military background and this is what he knew. He also shares how a trusting, empathetic manager made a difference in his professional journey. He is passionate about hiring for diversity and he talks about the strategies he uses to look for talent. We share our favourite books and podcasts that has made an impact on us and changed us for the better. I hope you enjoy this episode and have a few good take-aways.The resources mentioned in the episode:1. https://www.palomamedina.com/biceps2. Connect by David Bradford and Carole Robin (https://www.amazon.com/Connect-Building-Exceptional-Relationships-Colleagues/dp/0593237099)3. Changeable (the summary of the book is recommended by Ivan) - https://www.amazon.com/Changeable-Collaborative-Problem-Solving-Changes/dp/01431290154. The Mastery of Self by Don Miguel Ruiz Jr. - https://www.amazon.com/Mastery-Self-Toltec-Personal-Freedom/dp/1938289692/5. Drama Triangle - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karpman_drama_triangle 6. Feeling Good - https://www.amazon.com/Feeling-Good-New-Mood-Therapy/dp/0380810336