Engineering Management

Leading through Entrepreneurial Leadership

Teaching students at UCSB about Rubrik and the wonderful work culture

Sol's Management Philosophy

At the heart of my approach is entrepreneurial leadership, focused on:

Empowering teams to think like owners
Shipping fast and iterating frequently
Bringing the passion and fire of entrepreneurship
Making the right thing the easy thing through clear processes
Committing to continuous improvement
Fostering psychological safety
Practicing servant leadership
Maintaining open communication

Resulting in: High-performing happy teams aligned with shared goals and values.

Engineering Management Experience Across 3+ Companies

Founding Eng / TLM

Enterprise Software (Shipping/Logistics)

Senior Engineering Manager

Enterprise Software (Cloud Data Protection)

Director of Engineering

Crypto (NFTs, Smart contracts, E-Commerce, Gaming)

1. Empowering Leadership

Team members collaborating — At Rubrik, we all worked with a successful IPO goal in mind, a goal we hit

Entrepreneurial Mindset

Think Like an Owner: Fostering a culture of focusing on company success and being resourceful/proactive to achieve it.

Servant Leadership

Supporting Success: Providing resources and support for excellence.

Coaching and Development

Personalized Growth: Offering tailored development plans and clear expectations.

Radical Candor

Honest Communication: Promoting trust through compassionate feedback.

2. Creating a Supportive Environment

Team in a supportive meeting — Important to create a supportive environment

Psychological Safety

Trust and Openness: Cultivating an environment for sharing ideas and taking risks.

Emotional Intelligence

Leading with Empathy: Active listening and acknowledging perspectives.

Culture by Example

Actions Matter: Modeling desired behaviors to set the standard.

3. Streamlined Processes and Accountability

SMART goals illustration — It is important to have SMART goals. Designed by freepik.com

Making the Right Thing the Easy Thing

Create clear guides for the team to follow. Simplifying processes to enable focus on meaningful work.

Results-Oriented Management

Clear Goals: Setting SMART objectives for alignment and accountability.

Conflict Resolution

Proactive Approach: Addressing conflicts directly and constructively. No Feedback Triangle.

4. Collaboration and Partnerships

Collaborative workspace — Team working together out of a SF WeWork (while at Rubrik)

Inclusive Decision-Making

Involving the team through consultative and co-creative approaches.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

Building strong partnerships with other teams and stakeholders. This includes but is not limited to product managers, designers, salespeople, and executives.

5. Talent Acquisition and Retention

Hiring process illustration — I read books such as Technical Recruiting and Hiring book to help me effectively recruit

Retaining the Best

Build a rocket ship with career development opportunities so that no one wants to get off.

Hiring the Best

Recruiting top talent with honesty, resilience, depth, and learning ability.

High-Touch Engagement

Attracting and retaining the best candidates through personalized engagement.

6. Commitment to Continuous Improvement

Continuous improvement cycle — If each person on the team grows, then the team grows exponentially, and so does the company

Learning and Adaptation

Fostering a culture of continuous improvement, encouraging learning and innovation.