Today, exactly one week ago, was my first day at Change. What do I think?
Wow.
Wow the people are good.
Wow there is a lot going on and a lot to do.
Wow everybody’s still smiling (no matter if it’s 8am or 8pm).
Wow this is gonna be awesome.
Just do it
There’s really no slow introduction. Like always, there’s more work than hands to do it. So listen, learn, ask questions, do it. Repeat. At first glance it might look like people madly rushing around, but you quickly realise it is highly organised action towards a shared goal (we’re just very short on room as the team is growing faster than the office space supply in Tallinn).
Each task is carefully assigned, autonomous teams work independently and are solely responsible for their own work. In addition to your main tasks, everybody is encouraged to chip in where they can (but most importantly want) and propose new ideas. No better example, than when I saw a new team formed on my second day that I was here, where marketing and product teams joined forces to brainstorm and test new features with users.
The dream team
But what I am mostly amazed about is the people. Everybody is ridiculously good at what they do. They have come together from all over the world to achieve a shared dream — build a future where everyone, everywhere can have power over their own finances.
I mean, we’re talking about people relocating from South Portugal to the Estonian winter. You’re lucky to get across the street here without freezing to death. You really have to want it.
Jokes aside, on my first day I joined a product engineer pre-screening interview, which gave me the best understanding of the company you can get. Before the call I got an overview of who we are looking for, what to pay attention to, what to ask. But not regarding their work experience and technical skills, but the person itself — what excites you and makes you proud, your ambitions for life, personal and professional development goals, the way you approach problems and so on.
And I realised that everyone here definitely has their priorities straight. If we’re going to put together a team to change the world, it means mindset first, skillset second. Better a rough diamond than a shiny fake jewel that will break under the slightest pressure.
Of course the technical experience is crucial as well — everybody has to be top level experts in their field for us to succeed — but it really doesn’t matter how good you are if your motivation lies in just getting a pay-check or having a nice easy job.
On our way to the top
You can imagine that in this industry most days are quite far from Disneyland. The industry is tough, the expectations are high, competition is intense, you can’t find the right people fast enough. There are a million external factors you can’t control or predict, so you just have to adapt fast and stick together whatever comes down the road.
I strongly believe that especially in a rapidly changing field such as crypto, a kick-ass team is everything you’ll have. But even more strongly I believe that if every newcomer will be like the people we already have, there are no limits to what we can achieve.
Yes I know, it’s just my first week. What can I know already, right? But sometimes you just know. You recognise magic from the first sight. I am now part of this amazing team with people of all ages, backgrounds, and nationalities, but we have the most important thing in common — a shared vision — making money simple — and an endless drive to achieve it.
So everybody, pay attention — Change is coming!
PS! Also very important, there’s dogs!! I thought it can’t get better than having a dog in the office. I was wrong — you can have two dogs in the office.
