From Stranger to Glue: My 5-Year Journey at QuestionPro

Joining a new company is like moving to a completely new city. You don’t know anyone, everything feels unfamiliar, and you’re constantly questioning whether you made the right decision. That’s exactly how I felt in December 2020 when I joined QuestionPro during the height of COVID-19. New company, new domain, new people, a lot of uncertainty, doubts, questions. What would I be working on? Who would be my manager? Did I make the right decision?

The Onboarding Surprise (Dec 2020)

I joined remotely during COVID and honestly, I wasn’t sure what to expect, but QuestionPro surprised me with something I had never experienced before. One month of comprehensive product training!!

Now, you might think, “One month? That’s a lot!” but trust me, this was quite helpful!

In general, when you join most companies, you get assigned to a project directly. It’s like being handed the keys to a car without knowing the routes, traffic patterns, or even the destination. But in QuestionPro, I got the map first.

The market-research domain was completely new to me. I had worked in different domains like telecom, health, investment banking etc., but this was quite new.

I strongly believe that as an engineer, you are solving problems, so you should have good context and a deep understanding of the domain. What problem are you solving and importantly, for whom? Who is your customer? How are they using your software?

That one-month training was like building a strong foundation before constructing a skyscraper. Solid groundwork that I still rely on today.

Finding My Voice (2021-2022)

Since the start of my career in 2010, I have liked mentoring people. So when I showed interest at QuestionPro, I was given free hand to arrange any knowledge-sharing sessions, engineering townhalls. I have given a lot of knowledge-sharing sessions, helped a lot of people.

This is when I discovered something beautiful about QuestionPro’s culture. Ideas are always heard here. I’ve never seen people getting shy about sharing ideas because the environment is just that cool. You can talk to anyone, pitch any idea. It’s refreshing, honestly.

During this period, I also learned that QuestionPro doesn’t just talk about investing in people . They put their money where their mouth is. Every year, everyone gets a $250 learning budget. This wasn’t just a random decision. It came from QuestionPro’s Employee Annual Survey. The feedback, gathered through QuestionPro’s entirely anonymous Employee Annual Survey, allowed every individual to voice their opinion and this happens every year.

By the time COVID got normal, it was around 2022 when I physically met everyone for the first time. But to be honest, I never felt like I was meeting anyone for the first time.

I discovered myself a lot during this time. What am I good at? You know, once you trust your devs, they can do wonders. Someone once told me during the initial days of my career that I am like “glue” which holds a team together. QuestionPro certainly made that glue more dense!

From IC to Engineering Manager: The Reality Check ( 2022-2024)

Around 2022 I transitioned from IC to engineering manager. Honestly speaking you need to know your shit because running a team is not easy. As they say, great power comes with great responsibilities. Here’s what I learned during this transition:-

• Get yourself organized first : Manage your day, if you are not organized, neither your team will
• Effective communication with diagrams : It’s a great skill! I love discussing ideas, tech docs, knowledge sharing sessions, brainstorming using diagrams.
• Constant feedback : Don’t wait till year end, share feedback regularly
• Good listener & trust builder : Trust your team, they know their stuff
• Mentor mindset : Always seek opportunity to show/learn, be the mentor you wanted for yourself
• Patience in tough times - There will be days when things are not in your control. Everyday is not sunshine, have patience
• Root cause finder - Fix the root cause, not the symptoms ( also my favorite for AI context prompts to avoid patch work)
• Second chance believer - Everyone deserves a second chance. Don’t give up so easily, have your own mental checklist before you judge
• Perspective player - Put yourself in someone else’s shoes, play the mental role of your manager/mentees
• Reality check - Writing code is easier than people management

My philosophy: If your team wins, you win. Don’t work for credit. If you work for credit, then you will cut corners and play politics. Work to upgrade yourself, help others. Credit is just a side product!

Small Teams, Big Ownership

What made this transition smoother was QuestionPro’s approach to team structure. We work in small teams of 4-5. It’s the best strategy!

But here’s what’s even more beautiful, giving ownership and trusting developers means devs don’t work in silos. You know how in most companies, backend devs have no idea how their APIs are being used at frontend? Or frontend devs don’t know how queries are being used to fetch data?

Not here! Our developers work end to end. They get the holistic view, see the full picture, understand the complete context. When you know how your piece fits into the bigger puzzle, you write better code, make smarter decisions, and take real ownership.

Each engineer is a DRI (Directly Responsible Individual) . It increases ownership and focus tremendously. This small team approach helped me understand leadership without getting lost in bureaucracy.

The Evolution Story (2022-2024)

Learning from Mistakes: Our Secret Sauce

The good thing here is, we constantly evolve and learn from our mistakes. Experimentation is the biggest secret for us.

Perfect example: Those knowledge-sharing sessions.

5 years ago: We were doing traditional knowledge-sharing sessions . One person talks, others listen. Classic classroom style.

The realization: Over the time we had realized this approach was becoming a boring exercise, sometimes even a sleep marathon!

The evolution: We switched to 100% practical, hands-on “build-along” sessions. Different experts deliver learning sessions, but with a new approach i.e. practice → build → repeat.

Why? Because developers love doing hands-on work. If it’s just one-way communication, sooner or later it becomes ineffective.

Similarly, we’re currently experimenting with AI coding tools. Our entire team is using Copilot Pro to boost productivity. We don’t just adopt . We experiment and optimize.

Work-Life Balance: No Weekend Circus

During this evolution phase, I also experienced QuestionPro’s work-life balance philosophy firsthand. In my 5 years, neither I nor my team spent a single day on weekends. No weekend circus .

But it’s not just about avoiding weekends . Our hackathons are roller coaster rides every year! It’s always fun to see how much engineers can achieve. Always fun and motivating. So we learn from mistakes, grow, retrospect…repeat.

The Recipe Master (2024-Present)

Looking back at these 5 years, I can proudly say we have all the ingredients to make an awesome recipe . In QuestionPro, engineers can truly hone their craft!

I realized that I discovered myself, grew as a leader, and most importantly, helped others grow. The small pods, the DRI approach, the learning budget, the experimental mindset, the work-life balance . All of these became the environment where my “glue” qualities could flourish.

The Discovery

What started as uncertainty in a new city became a journey of discovering the best version of myself. QuestionPro didn’t just shape my career . It shaped how I think about leadership, learning, and helping others.

So, next time you’re evaluating a new opportunity, don’t just look at the salary or the tech stack. Look for the foundation, the culture, and the growth mindset. Look for a place where you can discover the best version of yourself.

Who knows? You might just find your own “glue” qualities!