August 7, 2024
Introducing Karina, Head of Agility at iProov, who describes her role as a ‘soccer coach for software development teams,’ focused on optimizing team dynamics and workflows. Karina is passionate about human psychology, improving people’s ways of working, and neurodiversity.
In this ‘Meet the Team,’ Karina speaks candidly, sharing advice about having ADHD and working in neurotypical environments, and some iProov highlights.
Hi Karina. Can you tell us about your journey to iProov, and how you came across it?
I’ve been in the technology field since 2009. I started working in video games but realized it wasn’t the best fit for me. I was motivated to find better ways of working, and that’s when I came across Scrum and became fascinated by the wider Agile field. I transitioned to becoming a Scrum Master and then an Agile coach. I was specifically drawn to iProov because of the company’s size and stage of growth. Prior to that, I had worked in larger, established companies that had already completed significant growth. Joining iProov was a fantastic opportunity for me to influence the direction of growth and scaling.
What is an agile coach?
I compare agile coaching to a football coach but for software development teams. As Head of Agility, I come into a business, or a team, depending on the company size, and figure out where the team is working effectively and where it could use improvement. I also look at how multiple teams can work effectively and efficiently together, collaborating where necessary and helping organize the teams around competing priorities. However, I look at things holistically and not necessarily always from a process point of view. I look at the psychology of the team, which involves understanding team dynamics and the systems people operate in. For example, I might learn that people want more of a focus on teamwork and work collaboration, and I would look at how the business does or doesn’t facilitate this. I look at how teams develop software because there are certain practices around how to organize software development effectively and create fluid workflows that enable collaboration and enable the teams to deliver their work faster, more valuable to our clients, and of higher quality. And it’s also important that this is done in a sustainable way, so that individuals don’t burn out, have the time to improve their skills, and have a good work/life balance.
What does your role at iProov encompass?
I work with people on individual, team, and wider organizational levels. Ensuring that people have the optimal environment to be their most productive selves and encouraging people to think about the ways that they work. At an individual level, I help people understand their motivations and hurdles. At the team level, I create workshops to help teams figure out where the inefficiencies are, and also provide an external lens. At an organizational level, I work with our product, technology, and science departments on their quarterly kick-offs. This is a big day of planning involving a lot of people – I ensure the conversations are flowing and moving in the right direction.
You’re very open about being neurodivergent. Are you able to share some of your ADHD experiences within the workforce?
I was only officially diagnosed with ADHD in 2022, but it’s something that has been on my radar for a while. I’ve had both good and bad experiences with ADHD’s impact on my work. Before knowing how to navigate having ADHD it created some very tough moments. I’ve been burnt out before and had to take a significant chunk of time off work after quitting one of my jobs due to burnout. I hadn’t figured out how to function in a neurotypical workplace, which is a problem many neuro-diverse individuals face. Over time I learned how I work best and how to find workplaces that can support me. Since I figured this out, I’ve had fantastic growth in my career and have been able to be a very productive member of any company that I join, which I’m very proud of.
How do the skills of ADHD lend themself to being an agile coach?
I’m fortunate that agile coaching is a very vast and diverse role that hits on one of the superpowers ADHD has: the ability to hyperfocus on something we find very interesting. We can be really dedicated and very detail-oriented. I’m super interested in human psychology, and I’ve managed to find a career that taps into my natural interest. My role also mitigates a characteristic associated with ADHD. People with ADHD have a significantly lower amount of dopamine in their brain so they’re constantly searching for a hit. This means we can jump around between things. As agile coaching is such a diverse career, if I get bored with one aspect I can explore another area.
It sounds as though you have taken a lot of time to understand what ADHD is, how it impacts you, and how to use these differences in the best way possible. With all this knowledge, what advice would you give to someone who is neurodivergent and starting their career, or has been recently diagnosed?
Get to know yourself, get to know your rights, and advocate for yourself.
To get to know yourself, you need to understand that we are all unique. If you’ve met one neurodivergent person, then you’ve only met one neurodivergent person! We have different needs. So get to know yourself! How do you work best? How do you like receiving feedback? How do you like to structure your day? When do your natural energy levels rise and fall? What sort of work motivates you? The second part is to get to know your rights. Speaking for the UK, there is a lot of support for neurodivergent people with our 2010 Equality Act.
There are also workplace adjustments and reasonable adjustments that you can request. Figure out what you need from a company, and they are required to provide that for you, within reason.
How does iProov foster an inclusive environment for neurodivergent individuals?
Our People Team is great at receiving feedback and finding ways of making resources more accessible. For example, our recently launched iProov Workplace Adjustments Policy, which I assisted with, is fantastic because it’s written in a neurodivergent-friendly way. There is a lot of neurodiversity awareness at iProov, and there are many neurodivergent people and many who are comfortable discussing their neurodivergence. Our People Team is incredibly supportive, whether you are neurodivergent or not, in helping individuals find ways of working that suit them. There is also a lot of support for managers on how to effectively manage neurodivergent people, from our Management 101 programme that covers those aspects, to our regular workshops, trainings and external speakers that also deal with the topic of neurodiversity.
I got diagnosed with ADHD while working in iProov and I don’t regret for a second being open about my diagnosis as I have gotten a lot of support.
What are some of your iProov highlights?
Launching the Workplace Adjustments Policy is a huge highlight and accomplishment because it is the first policy written with neurodivergence in mind and crowdsourced from our Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging Committee. I worked closely on this project and it is something I am passionate about. Finally, we work in a complicated industry where not only is there a lot to navigate, but it is also a constantly changing landscape. Seeing how people come together to solve problems within such a complex industry while being supportive always blows my mind!
