►
Description
Some takeaways and tips I picked up from my two week CEO Shadow rotation. https://about.gitlab.com/handbook/ceo/shadow/
A
Hi,
I'm
pilar,
I
am
the
public
sector
distribution
manager
here
at
gitlab.
I
wrapped
up
my
rotation
in
the
ceo
shadow
program
last
week
and
wanted
to
share
some
thoughts
and
also
encourage
you.
Yes,
you
to
apply
for
the
program
if
you
are
able
I'll
start
by
saying
this
program
was
something
I
had
my
eye
on
when
I
was
first
interviewing
with
git
lab.
I
so
admired
the
value
of
transparency
and
I
couldn't
wait
to
put
it
to
the
test
fast
forward
to
onboarding
at
gitlab.
A
My
team
was
growing
like
crazy
and
it
was
beyond
busy.
Then
we
got
hit
by
the
pandemic,
where
life
got
a
whole
lot
more
stressful
and
the
program
shifted
to
all
remote.
Add
to
that.
The
fact
that
I
am
in
an
est
time
zone-
and
I
was
worried
that
I
wouldn't
be
able
to
fully
focus
on
the
program,
or
maybe
I
wouldn't
have
the
energy
to
keep
up
at
the
end
of
the
day.
I
realized
there
would
never
be
a
perfect
time
to
participate,
so
I
just
went
for
it.
A
I
knew
I
would
enjoy
the
program.
I
did
not
realize
just
how
energized
I
would
be
by
it,
even
though
I'm
normally
a
sleepy
east
coast
team
member
I
kept
staying
up
later
and
later,
because
I
would
walk
away
from
my
days
so
amped
up.
I
couldn't
stop
thinking
about
all
the
interesting
meetings
and
topics
we
had
covered.
A
Sid's
calendar
is
intense
and
it
is
so
interesting.
I
loved
the
wide
array
of
things
he
is
able
to
contribute
to,
and
I
noticed
three
habits
that
helped
make
this
possible.
First
habit
focus
focus
on
what
is
important,
make
sure
the
meetings
you
are
attending
are
the
ones
that
need
your
attention
make
sure
the
content
you
are
covering
has
clearly
defined
asks
and
next
steps,
and
if
it's
not
clear
what
you
should
be
focusing
on
within
the
meeting
address
it
second
habit,
communication
communicate
clearly
communicate
concisely,
choose
accurate
words
carefully.
A
A
Keeping
the
communication
transparent
is
key
and
making
sure
you're
open
to
debate
is
important,
so
I
tend
to
be
a
very
agreeable
person.
I
get
squeamish
when
folks
don't
see
eye
to
eye,
so
I
was
really
surprised
at
how
much
I
enjoyed
watching
sid,
disagree
and
watching
a
healthy
debate
happen
because
at
the
end
of
it,
everyone
walks
away
having
grown
having
had
the
opportunity
to
iterate,
and
it
was
just
really
amazing
skill
to
watch
the
third
habit.
Keep
your
time.
You
see
it
in
our
handbook.
A
A
So
you've
heard
me
give
you
some
reasons
as
to
why
I'm
glad
I
did
the
program,
but
maybe
you're,
still
worried
about
the
time.
Commitment.
Two
weeks
is
a
long
time.
These
hours,
maybe
are
not
the
best
for
you
I
mentioned
I
am
est,
but
I
am
also
the
mother
of
three
young
children.
My
eldest
just
turned
five.
A
My
youngest
is
still
a
baby
who
is
nursing,
so
I
was
really
worried
about
how
this
would
affect
my
family,
so
you
may
have
heard
that
gitlab
is
friends
and
family
first,
and
I
am
happy
to
report
that
it
is
true.
Sid
makes
time
for
his
family
go
look
at
his
calendar.
You
can
see
when
he's
talking
to
his
parents
to
his
siblings
the
time
he
makes
to
reconnect
with
friends
his
date
nights
so
by
leading
by
example,
and
seeing
that
I
really
felt
empowered
to
take
the
time
that
I
needed
as
well.
A
A
Even
if
you
don't
speak
engineer,
and
even
if
you
have
scheduled
limitations,
please
go
ahead,
take
advantage
of
it.
It
is
absolutely
worth
it.
A
special
shout
out
to
sherry
holmes
for
encouraging
me
to
apply
for
the
program,
despite
my
perceived
limitations
and
to
my
two
wonderful
co-shout
outs,
katie
and
joanna.
Thank
you
so
much.
It
was
an
absolute
delight
to
shadow
alongside
both
of
you.