Dario Gieselaar, Principal Software Engineer from Elastic gets brutally honest about what it really takes to succeed in a top tech company. We uncover the uncomfortable truths about the promotion game, why direct feedback is crucial (even when it hurts), and why a "winning" mindset is everything. This is the conversation about career growth they don't have in HR meetings.
In this episode, we cover:
Navigating promotion cycles and advocating for yourself
Giving and receiving critical feedback without being seen as "negative"
The importance of accountability and managing low-performing colleagues
Why a top-down approach can be more effective than team democracy
How to "disagree and commit" to keep projects moving forward
This video is for any software engineer who wants to level up their career, navigate corporate dynamics, and become a high-impact performer in a competitive environment.
Full episode on YouTube ▶️
Beyond Coding Podcast with 🎙Patrick Akil
Timestamps:
00:00:00 - Career Progression for Software Engineers in Big Tech
00:00:28 - The Pain and Frustration of a Missed Promotion
00:03:44 - The "Classic Game" of Asking Your Manager for a Promotion
00:05:38 - When Salary Becomes a Trigger for Your Motivation
00:08:09 - Why Recognition is More Important Than Money
00:11:09 - The Challenge of Giving Positive vs. Critical Feedback
00:13:26 - Is Your Critical Feedback Being Labeled as "Negative"?
00:15:36 - When Being Indirect Wastes Everyone's Time
00:17:44 - Why Direct Disagreement Leads to Better Decisions
00:20:16 - The Surprising Impact of Meeting Colleagues In-Person
00:22:43 - How Reorgs Destroy High-Performing Teams
00:25:59 - Why the World's Biggest Codebase is Embarrassing
00:27:58 - Should You Let Your Team Make Their Own Mistakes?
00:30:47 - The Unique Challenge of Building Enterprise Software
00:34:16 - A Hard Lesson: When Your Directness Hurts a Colleague
00:38:45 - The Uncomfortable Truth About Managing Low Performers
00:43:21 - Why High Performers Leave Teams That Tolerate Coasting
00:47:05 - A Contrarian Take: Is Workplace Democracy Overrated?
00:50:54 - How to "Disagree and Commit" Without Wasting Time
00:55:52 - The #1 Instinct to Control When Receiving Feedback
01:01:43 - Mindset Shift: Treating Software Engineering Like a Competitive Sport