The Guest – Michael Zucker, VP of Engineering at UNiDAYS
Michael Zucker is a software executive with over 20 years of experience in the field. Today, he is the VP of Engineering at UNiDAYS, a platform offering exclusive discounts and deals from top brands to students, as well as providing student verification services to the likes of Apple, Meta and other large companies. In addition to this, he has also successfully coached ice hockey teams for the same amount of time throughout his career.
In this episode, Michael joins us to explore the parallels between coaching athletes and managing software engineering teams. Michael shares insights from his unconventional career path, highlighting the importance of emotional intelligence, resilience, and a growth mindset in leadership roles. Listen in as we discuss how effective feedback, clear strategies, and genuine care for individual growth are crucial whether you’re on the ice or in the office.
Some highlights of this episode include:
- Parallels Between Coaching Athletes and Managing Engineers
- The Role of Emotional Intelligence in Leadership
- Why Great Engineers (or Athletes) Don’t Always Make Great Managers
- Feedback Culture: Athletes vs. Engineers
- Future Trends in Software Development (Beyond AI)
Q:Can you share any tips on how other leaders can ensure they have total buy-in from their teams?
“I don’t think I’ve ever had total buy-in, so I’m not sure I’m the right person to answer that question, whether it’s sports or workplace. […] These players that you’re going to be coaching, they don’t care how much you know about the game or how good of a coach you are until they know how much you care about them as people and their development and their growth. And that really stuck with me. […] If the person… doesn’t genuinely feel that you care about them as a person and have their best interests in mind, it’s going to be very difficult to get them engaged and even more difficult to get buy-in from them.”
Listen to the Story of Software on:
Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Deezer, & any other podcast platform of your choice. The Story of Software Podcast is produced by Zartis, a software services company. We hope you enjoy listening to this tech podcast and feel free to share any feedback with us: podcast@zartis.com
