Sofia Tsiguro’s journey from DevOps engineer to SysOps Team Lead at Wrike is a story of responsibility, opportunity, and intentional leadership. Over the years, she has navigated the fast-paced world of infrastructure, led teams through high-pressure technical projects, mentored rising engineers, and found her own voice in a male-dominated field. In this interview, she opens up about her path into leadership, the lessons learned from missteps, the power of mentoring, and why visibility matters for the next generation of women in tech.
It happened very naturally, to be honest. I was always a very responsible and proactive person, and that combination naturally leads to the question, "How can I make a greater impact?" One answer is to build a team, set bigger goals, and lead them to meaningful achievements.
However, in my case, there was also a very pragmatic reason. I was working in a startup where I was hired as the first DevOps engineer to build the SaaS infrastructure for a product that was distributed as an on-premises solution. I guess this was a turning point in my career - I only had a couple of years of experience, and people there believed in me, giving me the opportunity to build a solution from scratch. When we released our product in two public clouds, it was unavoidable that we would need more people to maintain and develop the infrastructure.
So, we started hiring, which was my first experience as an interviewer, and I became the team leader of the DevOps team back then. As you can imagine, the startup pace was really fast, so in two years, I ended up leading a team of four, also guiding neighboring project teams. I appreciate that intense period; however, I'm also happy that I later joined Wrike, where I had the opportunity to work with more mature engineers, processes, and infrastructure, which definitely helped me to evolve and strengthen my leadership skills.
Being a team leader, or a first-level manager, presents the unique challenge of balancing technical knowledge with people management. I am convinced that technical awareness is crucial for building strong team connections; it's like speaking the same language. However, it's impossible and unnecessary to be an expert in every aspect of your team's work - that's why you have a team of experts! While it sounds simple, this can be difficult to consistently practice.
Leveraging your team's technical expertise, trusting their knowledge, and fostering an environment for upskilling are all vital. These elements allow you to generate significant value and synergy by combining your people management and technical skills.
At times, the human side of things and how your team connects are even more important. For example, a key tech person in your team might be mainly motivated with good team vibes and fun team events, not technical innovation. It's a dynamic process that requires constant evaluation of the situation and a continuous rebalancing of both short-term and long-term efforts. At least, that works for me!
Not so long ago, my team and I worked on a project to implement a new solution, which was assigned to a freshly joined engineer. We researched available tools and selected one. However, during implementation, we realized that despite its popularity and maturity, this particular tool didn't suit our needs. It's always challenging to pause an ongoing project and reevaluate decisions, but we had to do it. We conducted further research with new insights and chose a different tool.
While time had already been invested in the previous solution, which can be frustrating and feel like a waste, especially for a newcomer eager to prove their skills, I found this situation to be even more valuable than if everything had gone smoothly.
Firstly, the time wasn't lost; we gained experience.
Secondly, making a step back and reevaluating decisions is a sign of mature skill.
Thirdly, I believe the eventually chosen solution will lead us to a better outcome. The lesson here is not to blame ourselves or the team for mistakes, but to analyze and learn from them. They often bring much more insight than smooth successes.
I can only confirm that it is still a highly male-dominated field. I recall a conversation with a female manager from another field who asked, "Sofia, you are a manager now, why don't you hire more women on your team?" I would be genuinely happy to see more women on the team, as I believe diversity contributes to more universal and creative team results. However, there are significantly fewer female engineers open to work compared to male engineers. Unfortunately, I think this stems from fewer girls preferring technical colleges and universities, leading to fewer women pursuing careers in these fields. One of my motivations is to be an example of a successful female engineer and leader in this field.
This is why I participate in talks and events dedicated to women in tech. We need to be vocal and visible so more girls can believe in themselves and study technology! I want to appreciate every colleague who makes this effort because such women inspired me in the past.
Personally, I constantly learn how to transform disadvantages into advantages. If you're the only woman in the room, you already attract attention. If you're being interviewed as an engineer, and sadly, expectations might be lower than for your male colleagues, use it as an opportunity to showcase your knowledge and surprise them. It can be challenging to stay vocal and get microphone time; however, if you speak concisely, quietly, but meaningfully, people will start to value your opinion, and you won't need to fight for microphone time.
I wish these challenges weren't real, and we didn't have to discuss them. However, we are not there yet, so we must adapt and find our way.
As a team leader, I actively encourage cross-team communication, believing it's a shared responsibility rather than solely a manager's. This approach fosters understanding of other teams' workflows, promotes idea exchange, and often accelerates project completion. I also lead by example, treating everyone with respect and fairness, while still recognizing individual needs.
Absolutely. Throughout my career, my direct managers have primarily mentored me. However, I'd like to focus on my experience as a mentor. When I formed my first team, the initial member was an internal transfer from the IT team. We had a good relationship, and during a break, he mentioned his desire to grow into a DevOps role. This was incredibly convenient as we were about to start hiring. Why not hire internally? I always found it a mutually beneficial way to fill a position: it offers a development opportunity for an employee and helps avoid the expensive external hiring process.
So, we began our mentoring relationship. I shared helpful educational resources, answered his questions, shared my experiences, and guided his transition. It was a truly pleasant experience for both of us! I refined many aspects of my approach, summarized my thoughts, and gained a valuable team member. He, in turn, advanced his career internally, avoiding the stress of an external job search. Since then, there have been a couple more examples of internal transitions to my team where I have guided and onboarded people, and I truly believe this is a great way to strengthen a team when there is such an opportunity.
Long-term, complex projects demand significant management effort, from initiation to conclusion and learning from mistakes. When these projects directly impact customer experience, the stakes are incredibly high, leading to inherent stress. This work has taught me the importance of dedicating significant time to planning and preparation. While it might sometimes seem like an overinvestment, the results speak for themselves: increased confidence in our actions, and a team that doesn't need to improvise or rush during execution.
Confidence is paramount for a leader. It's crucial to trust your team and demonstrate conviction in the chosen direction, being able to articulate the 'why,' 'when,' and 'what' of our work. Decision-making under pressure is a skill that needs to be trained. Avoiding stress won't help here; instead, you brace yourself, tackle smaller challenges initially, remain calm, and maintain a clear mind. While people expect leaders to make decisions, you have the right to request all necessary information from engineers to ensure thoughtful and justifiable actions.
My advice is to honestly ask yourself what motivates your desire to become a leader. This path is challenging for everyone, so in difficult moments, your answer needs to be clear and confident. Once you understand your "why," everything else becomes achievable. Begin by demonstrating proactivity and taking on more responsibility; any manager invested in their team's growth will notice this.
Ultimately, leadership roles are not about doing more work or achieving better results; they are about taking responsibility for people, decisions, and outcomes. To prepare yourself, consider opportunities around you where there is a need you can fulfill. You'll find that people genuinely need and support female leaders in my experience.
The world has undergone significant transformations in the past five years, making it challenging to predict such a distant future. However, I can discuss potential directions. For my current and future teams, I aspire to introduce innovative approaches to infrastructure work within the next five years, making it more creative, less stressful, and enjoyable. I believe this could prevent boredom and burnout.
I also hope to see more women in infrastructure teams, as I believe their contribution would lead to more universal and creative results, directly connecting with my previous point. Overall, I aim to be an example and promote leadership for all women, benefiting my team, the organization, and future generations of women in tech.
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