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EP16: Hiten Shah CEO and co-founder of Nira on optimizing remote work
19 segments available
Welcome to the 16th episode of The Deep Collaboration podcast. In this episode, CoScreen co-founder Till Pieper will be talking to Hiten Shah, a serial entrepreneur, CEO, and co-founder of Nira. Hiten will share how he optimizes remote work practices, hires a scalable remote team, and why great planning should be a core skill for all engineers. Timestamp: 00:25 - Hiten Shah's path 03:00 - Hiring challenges in a remote and global setting 09:00 - Why great planning should be a core skill for all engineers 13:00 - Scaling a remote engineering team 14:00 - Optimizing remote work practices and planning exercises 15:50 - Async and sync communication at Nira 18:00 - Working remotely vs working from home during a global pandemic 28:00 - Adoption of distributed work https://nira.com/
Segments Timeline
Hiten Shah's Entrepreneurial Journey
Hiten Shah shares his entrepreneurial journey, detailing the founding of Crazy Egg and Kissmetrics, and how he identified a significant problem in document access management that led to the creation of Nira. He emphasizes the importance of visibility in document access and the challenges faced by IT and compliance teams in managing risks.
"welcome to the deep coloration podcast today we have hidden sha from era and the podcast who's a serial entrepreneur has worked on many great companies and who has great views on remote work overall w..."
The Challenge of Document Management
Hiten discusses the challenges of managing document access in a remote work environment, highlighting how many tools default to making documents public. He reflects on the need for better oversight and security in document sharing, especially for confidential resources, and expresses hope for Nira's expansion to other document providers.
"and are just kind of going after kind of this problem and customers for solving this problem before that we had built an enterprise search tool which we pivoted from to this once we realized that i t ..."
Hiring Challenges in Remote Work
Hiten addresses the ongoing challenges of hiring in a remote work ecosystem, noting that while the talent pool has expanded globally, finding the right candidates remains difficult. He shares insights on the deliberate processes his company employs to recruit engineers effectively, emphasizing the importance of assessing candidates' ability to thrive in a remote environment.
"absolutely yeah we're working as hard as we can and realistically just hiring as fast as we can to service all these needs that we're seeing across tools, so, it's, been, a lot, of, fun, and definitel..."
The Importance of Planning in Engineering
Hiten explains why planning is crucial for engineering success at Nira. He describes their unique approach to project planning, which focuses on accurate estimates and thorough preparation. This planning exercise is designed to ensure that engineers are well-prepared and confident in their project timelines, fostering a productive work environment.
"think about it interesting but isn't it ironic i mean i don't know how, if, you if, you, build, an, issue, with, a company like in our case we are remote that means we have people in virginia and in n..."
Culture Fit in Remote Teams
Hiten discusses the concept of culture fit in remote teams, noting the differences in assessing culture compared to traditional office environments. He emphasizes the need for clear organizational design and workflow processes to keep remote employees engaged and productive, aiming for an environment where everyone can do their best work.
"around people being able to accurately estimate when something that they're doing is going to be completed and so our environment is very plainful and is very focused on accurate estimates we don't pa..."
Planning as a Core Skill for Engineers
In this segment, Hiten Shah explains why planning is essential for engineering success at Nira. He clarifies that while technical skills are important, the ability to plan effectively is what truly matters. Shah outlines their unique hiring process, which includes a planning exercise that evaluates candidates' ability to manage their time and projects in a remote work environment.
"mentioned planning and what you said earlier is planning the key thing i mean is planning for you keem engineering yeah absolutely why is planning a good measure of engineering excellence like if some..."
Innovative Hiring Practices
Hiten Shah shares insights into Nira's innovative hiring practices, including a planning exercise that candidates must complete. This exercise simulates real-life project planning and assesses candidates' thought processes and problem-solving abilities. Shah emphasizes that this approach is refreshing compared to traditional coding challenges, focusing on planning rather than just technical skills.
"we do our best to send a nice note if they're not great candidate for us and try to explain why and then we go send for all the candidates that make sense we send them the planning exercise we say her..."
Creating a Supportive Work Environment
Hiten Shah discusses the importance of fostering a supportive work environment at Nira. He explains that the company prioritizes thoughtful planning and encourages engineers to be proactive in their work. Shah believes that a well-planned approach leads to better outcomes and helps engineers avoid common pitfalls like tech debt and spaghetti code.
"before he gets on the call then as he's talking to them asking them questions seeing if they found some of the land mines in our planning exercise seeing how they think about some of these things you ..."
Balancing Workload and Planning
In this segment, Hiten Shah elaborates on how Nira balances workload and planning. He explains that the company values effective time management and encourages engineers to plan their tasks realistically. Shah highlights the significance of setting achievable deadlines and maintaining a healthy work-life balance, which ultimately leads to higher quality work.
"in creating an environment where everyone feels like they're doing their best work we don't believe you can do your best work if you say i'm going to get it done on monday next week and it doesn't sho..."
The Role of Async Communication
Hiten Shah discusses the role of asynchronous communication at Nira and its impact on remote work. He explains how the company strives to maintain an async culture to prevent the pitfalls of synchronous work. Shah emphasizes the importance of clear communication and guidance to ensure that team members can collaborate effectively without being tied to specific time zones.
"society in general but in tech companies we don't do that we just want someone who can literally say i'm gonna get it done on this date and they get it done on that date not by working 24 hours a day ..."
Optimizing Meetings for Efficiency
In this segment, Hiten Shah shares Nira's approach to meetings, advocating for fewer but more effective meetings. He explains the structure of their meetings, which are designed to maximize productivity while minimizing disruption. Shah emphasizes the importance of maintaining focus on async work to ensure that the team remains efficient and engaged.
"engineering team and dealing with these things and iterating the process we've even found ways to get like hundreds and hundreds of candidates every month because of the effort that he's put into some..."
The Importance of Async Communication
Hiten Shah discusses the significance of asynchronous communication in remote work environments. He emphasizes the need for teams to minimize synchronous meetings to maintain productivity and avoid a culture of constant interruptions. Shah explains how scaling a remote team can lead to an increase in synchronous work, which can disrupt workflows and suggests strategies to keep communication efficient and effective.
"there's also things like we give at least 20 of time for maintenance of things or bugs and things that come up so when our head of engineering is actually planning he's counting everyone at about 32 h..."
Navigating Remote Work Challenges
In this segment, Hiten Shah reflects on the challenges of remote work, particularly during the pandemic. He shares insights on how the sudden shift to remote work exposed many employees to difficulties such as isolation and burnout. Shah argues that while remote work offers flexibility, it also requires self-discipline and can lead to feelings of loneliness, especially for extroverted individuals.
"restrictions with regards to time zone you can hire people around the world because it's mostly sync that's right it makes makes the flexibility of time zones a lot a lot different than in environment..."
The Future of Hybrid Workplaces
Hiten Shah shares his perspective on the future of work, predicting a shift towards hybrid workplaces. He discusses the complexities of managing hybrid teams and the lessons learned from companies that have multiple offices. Shah emphasizes the importance of maintaining an asynchronous culture to ensure productivity and collaboration, regardless of team members' locations.
"over, the, last, uh, one, and, a half, years, as you've been there right you whenever you work always the same way as i understand it i guess for me my views on remote work are pretty consistent with ..."
Learning from Remote Work Literature
In this segment, Hiten Shah highlights the value of learning from established remote work practices and literature. He mentions GitLab's employee handbook as a significant resource for developing effective remote work strategies. Shah stresses that while there is no one-size-fits-all solution, companies can benefit from adapting successful practices to fit their unique cultures and needs.
"inevitability that we're gonna have hybrid workplaces we're gonna have remote teams that's how people want to do things they want the flexibility that remote work working from home all that comes with..."
Tailoring Remote Work Processes
Hiten Shah discusses the importance of customizing remote work processes rather than blindly adopting them from other companies. He reflects on the philosophical insights from companies like Basecamp and GitLab, emphasizing that while their practices can serve as inspiration, each organization must adapt strategies that align with their specific context and challenges.
"and, there's, a lot, of, cues, that, companies that are going hybrid can probably take from the companies that have multiple offices like you can't imagine how many times i've stepped into an office a..."
Rethinking Company Gatherings
In this segment, Hiten Shah expresses his skepticism about off-site meetings and large company gatherings. He argues that such events can contradict the principles of remote work, which prioritize flexibility and self-direction, and discusses the importance of treating employees like adults in a remote work environment.
"i don't believe in off sites i don't believe in big company gatherings in person there's a bunch of things i've seen when companies do that that i wouldn't want at my company right, like, for, example..."
The Future of Remote Work Post-Pandemic
Shah reflects on the long-term implications of the pandemic on remote work. He discusses the potential for increased self-direction and freedom in work environments, while also acknowledging the challenges companies face as they navigate hybrid work models and employee expectations.
"discipline a lot of self-directed sort of mindset that not everybody's ready for especially because so many people have been working in an office for so long the thing i'm most excited about not the f..."
Employee Expectations and Company Policies
In this concluding segment, Hiten Shah explores the evolving landscape of employee expectations regarding remote work. He highlights the pressure on companies to adapt their policies to retain talent, especially as employees increasingly seek fully remote opportunities. The conversation wraps up with a nod to the ongoing changes in the workplace.
"happen now hopefully at least in the years the pandemic is turning the corner we are things are getting more normal so to speak so where how will we work in two to three years from now when hopefully ..."