Insider’s Cheat-sheet: What does it take to shine at GO-JEK Engineering?

By Ajey Gore

Working with a bunch of super-brainy, highly motivated and passionate individuals on bleeding edge technologies to solve real-life challenges — it is certainly a dream come true for any true-blue software engineer. But it can also be extremely overwhelming. Being successful at GO-JEK Engineering is all about having the right attitude.

Here’s an insider’s guide on developing the right attitude that will help you survive and even thrive at GO-JEK Engineering. So, whether you are looking to join GO-JEK Engineering or are already here, take note and take it to heart. Here goes…

Be positive — Believe me when I say this, intent and positivity can take you places. Programming with positivity can help you write better code. It’s always good to keep the happiness quotient at work really high. And not just work, a positive attitude helps in your personal life too!

Keep your temper in check — It may be ok sometimes to curse at the damn code that simply refuses to work; we’ve all been there. But when it comes to team mates, remember that anger never solves the problem. In fact, anger actually removes the possibility of improvement, especially in high spirited teams like ours. Instead of losing your temper, it always works better to give ownership to your team members. Let them own their mistakes and as well as their successes.

Be replaceable! — No, really! Be confident about the value you’re delivering to the team, but also try to make yourself replaceable. Look at it this way: If you are irreplaceable, how can you ever move on from your role to doing new things? That’s why I always encourage people to find their replacements asap, so that they can grow and do something even better.

Debate, but agree and follow — Healthy debate is always good. Fierce thought-wars are something to look forward to; they make life interesting. But when working in a team, remember that everyone has a perspective and you may or may not agree with it. Once a decision is made, follow it through and own it irrespective of whose idea it was. That’s what being a team player is all about. And it’s something we really value at GO-JEK.

Be Consistent — If you’ve ever seen someone run a marathon (or run one yourself), you know the importance of conserving your resources. If you want to run for longer, better and to win, consistency beats speed hands down. Strive for this trait, make sure you and your team members don’t burn out. Take time off on a regular basis, rather than having to stop abruptly. Think long term and focus on strategic wins. Tactical achievements should be part of daily life, but we should not burn ourselves out for those!

Be humble and feel privileged — Not to gloat, but working at GO-JEK is a privilege. Don’t treat it as your right. The absence of humility inhibits learning. Always assume you are the dumbest in the room, so there no question that is wrong and there is no doubt that does not deserve to be clarified. As long as you realise that there is always a lot to learn, humility will kick in and you will feel privileged keep your learning mode on.

Be a business champion — We were recently talking to some of our investors, explaining to them the pricing and allocation at GO-JEK. Their comment: “Seems like you guys get involved in business.” I can’t tell you how psyched we’re about this comment because this is something we truly strive for. Our code runs the business, and if we don’t understand business then there is no way that we will write better code! Our business clearly pivots towards customer needs, and our code needs to do that too! So, understand the business and you will write and deliver more effective product.

Does this sound like something you can do? There’s only one way to find out! Get in touch! Write in to us at work@go-jek.com.