After a short break, the inFocus section returns to the pages of our blog. We are once again happy to talk about our incredible innovecsers, their pivotal life moments, lessons, hesitations, and achievements. The first person in our focus after the comeback is Dmytro Shumailov, an extremely delicate and wise human being with whom it is a pleasure to communicate and work. Read below what we talked about.
— Dmytro, please describe yourself as a person in one sentence
Do what you must; do unto others as you would have them do unto you.
— Did you have any fears or obstacles on your professional path? And if so, what helped you overcome them?
Speaking not only about work but about human life in general, the most frightening thing is the unknown. Finding yourself in an unfamiliar place is always a little scary. You fear failing, falling short of expectations and hopes, and letting down the team and the client. But that’s how it goes for everyone; only foolish people have no fear. And fighting it is quite simple: you just need to understand that no one will do it for you. And you have to escape your comfort zone constantly: get out of it, even with some tiny things. This ability tempers the character and the very attitude to these problems, the fear that someone will laugh, mock, or you can let someone down. Start small, and everything will be just fine.
— Can you freely talk about some mistakes that taught you something?
I can talk without hesitation, but how I feel inside, all that poking around in myself, and my self-reflection are a whole other story.
— What was the last such case that taught you a lesson?
Differences in mentality and perception of things, in combination with language barriers, caused a little misunderstanding over an innocent joke. Afterward, I realized: if you don’t know how then either learn or don’t do it until you are absolutely sure that you will do everything properly. You have to think before saying something because there is a chance that your kindest message might not be understood.
—What is your attitude towards a sense of humor?
I try to perceive life in general through the prism of humor, whether it’s some epic fails or various development situations. It happens that I can’t fully understand some purely technical jokes, but the desire to grasp them is always there. Therefore, in such cases, I ask questions and clarify things. To my mind, it is necessary to take life’s troubles more easily and not to create tragedy where there is none. We are still alive, which is good. Because there is always a chance to dramatize everything but is it worth it?
— What qualities are key for an expert in your field?
First of all, the ability to communicate — finding an approach to everyone and everything. I think there should be a good attitude to absolutely everyone. Therefore, communication comes first with the skill of finding a common language to make sure I am understood.
Second, that’s troubleshooting, for sure. Partially, it is crisis management — the aptitude to solve any problems. And it’s also about finding the right people and, most importantly, on time.
The third is probably always to be aware of everything, even without getting too deep. It is not easy, but this habit comes with time and experience.
Also, it is going the extra mile and delivering at least 1-2% more. This is greatly appreciated, although rarely acknowledged. For me, this is an extremely important indicator. In terms of my role, it is always necessary to exceed expectations, even a little bit.
Well, in my case (this might be a professional deformity), there’s a need to always be in touch, which says a lot about attitude to work. That is, instead of delaying a reply for three hours, you do it immediately. To each their own.
— What has your career path been like at Innovecs?
I joined the company as a business analyst. I embraced the position for six months, and then it started to take on the authority of the Service Delivery Manager, which I am today. That is, I slowly left my comfort zone and took on more responsibility because I, first of all, had a great desire to do so.
— From the beginning of your career and up to this day — how have you changed as a person for taking on new roles, responsibilities, and projects?
I think I have become calmer. Over time, I gathered that people could be emotional and say something purely based on emotions. So I stopped getting annoyed, angry, or offended cause it’s not worth it. There is an understanding that we are all in the same boat and doing the same thing. Probably, I have become more stress-resistant and emotionally mature.
— Given how fast technology is evolving, how has your work changed over time, if at all?
Technologies do not stand still, and so do competitors who are constantly inventing something new. Accordingly, since I am not only a Service Delivery Manager and also deal with the product a little and work directly with the client, then such duties as market research and searching for some interesting solutions specifically for the client, the product, and the end user are added up. We see more of these products and new stuff emerging every day. That’s why I’m always focused on how we can make our work the best it can be.
— What three things motivate you to stay at Innovecs?
It is, first of all, the client, the product, and the team. I also love our events, aimed at acquiring new useful knowledge. Recently, I really enjoyed an event dedicated to the Ukrainian language. In addition to the fact that the speaker was charismatic and not boring, I had the opportunity to learn many subtleties of our mother tongue and how a real Ukrainian should and should not talk.
— What advice and recommendations would you give to a person who wants to join your team?
I would single out two major traits — being a good person (this is first and foremost) and being able to work in a team. We will teach everything else. Probably, one must have the desire to develop constantly. We repeatedly supplied our projects with people who were just a little below the skill level, while they matched with us perfectly in values, spirit, and many barely perceptible things. Now they are all our stars, of whom we are very proud.