Meet Wrikers: Rene Napravil, Team Manager
Before coming to Wrike, Rene led various Scrum teams in the investment banking and energy sector. Check out his personal journey from product management to engineering, and why he decided to join Wrike! 👇
Hi! My name is Rene. I am based in Prague and I joined Wrike in August 2022.
What made you want to join Wrike?
I was drawn to Wrike because of the energy and drive that I sensed in the company culture. From the moment I walked through the door, I could tell that this was a place where people were committed to achieving their goals and striving to be the best. I was excited to be a part of that kind of environment, where everyone is working together to make a real impact.
…everyone is working together to make a real impact.
And since joining Wrike, I have been consistently impressed by the level of expertise and dedication that my colleagues bring to their work every day. It’s inspiring to be surrounded by such talented and motivated people, and I’m honored to be a part of this team.
How did you become a team manager?
My journey to become an engineering manager at Wrike was a bit unconventional. Before coming to Wrike, I worked in a variety of fields, including investment banking, sales, and real estate, as well as other IT companies. Through these experiences, I gained a range of skills and perspectives that made me a different kind of manager.
Overall, I think that my varied background has helped me approach engineering management in a more well-rounded way, which has been particularly useful at Wrike. Here, we are always pushing the boundaries of what’s possible and striving to innovate in our field, so a different perspective can sometimes help a great deal.
How does Wrike support your career goals?
Wrike has been an incredible place to pursue my career goals because the company culture is so focused on empowering individuals to take ownership of their work. From day one, I have felt supported in pursuing the projects and initiatives that matter the most to me.
… the company culture is so focused on empowering individuals to take ownership of their work.
Additionally, the company offers a range of professional development resources, including training programs and mentorship opportunities, which have helped me to continue growing and learning in my role.
What is the hardest part of your job? What is the most rewarding one?
The hardest part of my job is also the most rewarding part. Our team is part of the Growth unit and our mission is to help people discover our amazing product and the value it can bring them. This means we can be very creative in how we choose to achieve our goals but it also means the challenges we are tackling are very ambiguous and there are no right answers.
In order to be successful, we pioneered a data-driven development approach where we focus on testing our hypothesis, fail fast, and invest only in ideas that prove impactful. This resulted in one of the best quarterly results in the history of the team.
So, getting people excited about trying something new is sometimes difficult but seeing them so proud of their work and the results they achieved is extremely rewarding.
How would you describe your team and its culture?
We are one of the oldest teams in the company. Apart from me joining recently, the team has been mostly unchanged for years. Despite the fact we are spread across four locations at the moment, we have amazing team chemistry.
What makes us unique is our “failing fast” approach.
What makes us unique is our “failing fast” approach. We understand that in order to strike gold, we have to dig dirt — so we support each other in the process and have fun with it. In order to achieve our goals, we understand transparency and ownership is key. We win or fail together.
How do you think the team will continue to grow and mature?
The team is mature and stable, able to handle the delivery cycle from ideation to impact. It gives us a great opportunity to experiment and try new things to see how far we can push the envelope. In my experience, that is usually where the real growth happens. I am grateful we work in an environment where this is encouraged.
What does a typical workday look like for you?
Fortunately, in the short time I have spent in Wrike, I have not yet developed a typical workday. Of course, there is a standard Scrum cycle and other periodical types of tasks you go through throughout a quarter. Having said that, I do see my role changing with the needs of the team. For example, at the beginning of my journey in Wrike I was heavily involved in assessment of the delivery cycle and implementation of process improvements in the team. Once we reached a certain level of Scrum maturity, my role shifted more towards coaching and experimentation. With time I also became involved in community building, collective intelligence, and Agile adoption on an engineering level. No two days are the same.
What’s something that people would be surprised to learn about you?
I am afraid of heights but I very much enjoy climbing. Every time I start on the wall there’s about 15 minutes of pure terror where my body tells me “No!” in all sorts of ways. But it always passes and I ease into this place in my mind where movement and meditation are the same thing.
If you were going to give someone who just decided to join Wrike one piece of advice, what would it be?
Take advantage of what the environment gives you. There is potential for you to do some of your best work in your career here.
