A Q&A With Learnfully's Suchi Deshpande on Listening Skills & Life Beyond the Job Description

Welcome to this series of Q&As I’m publishing with inspirational mentors and community builders in the technology industry!

It’s an honor to have had the opportunity to hear from these inspirational leaders who dedicate their time and positive energy to shaping a better future for developers.

Over at Twilio, we created the Developer Searchlight this year to celebrate the most inspirational, motivating mentors who are uplifting developers in 2022 through community, mentorship, or code.

Without further ado, let’s get to know honoree, Suchi Deshpande. Suchi is one of Learnfully’s Co-Founders, most known for her ability to see multiple sides to every situation, from customer to developer.

Due to Suchi’s steadfast trust, her teams have always felt empowered to find new ways to solve problems, with faith that Suchi is always ready to jump into action if they need support or a pep talk.

Who are you, where are you based, and what are you working on right now?

My LinkedIn profile says that I’m an entrepreneur, product manager, and engineer by trade. More than anything, though, I see myself as a problem solver who is unafraid of taking on risks and challenges that deserve to see the light of day.

I am neurodivergent (adult ADHD) and aim to educate and empower individuals – many of whom face lazy & misguided stereotypes from society & workplace – through our platform, Learnfully.

My family's new home is in Denver, Colorado. We were fortunate enough to live in the Bay Area for the previous 14 years.

Congratulations on being selected as a Twilio Developer Searchlight honoree. What does being a mentor or community builder mean to you?

The term “mentor” sort of implies that you are spreading your knowledge. That's different from my approach. I see myself as a learner and a connector. I'm constantly looking to learn and help others. My goal is to help empower others so they're in a better position to succeed.

For mentors and community builders, I think one of the key roles is to foster connectivity. It's vital to bring people together through shared experiences.

When working with developers specifically, I find that they tend to be expert problem solvers and are reluctant to reach out and ask for help, especially when the problem itself is ambiguous.

The reality is that developer and product communities are filled with people and leaders who feel valued and good about helping others.

The journey to resolve tough or hard to tackle problems does not need to be a lonely one. I encourage everyone to reach out and not give up. We’ve all had help to get to this point and we cherish the opportunity to pay it forward.

You are passionate about solving problems as part of a team - tell me more about how you foster collaboration.

Listening is the #1 most important skill. In order to foster collaboration as a team, you need to have a shared perspective and understanding. It’s hard to attain that unless you are truly listening to others - and not just waiting to respond when someone else is talking.

You have to be able to be empathetic and understand where others are coming from. If your colleagues feel like their ideas are heard and valued, they are going to be much more bought in on a project and more likely to share their perspective in the future – which is invaluable.

I also try to empower them with tasks that go beyond their typical job description. This is how people grow, see other points of views, and gain a greater understanding of the business.

What’s your one best piece of advice for aspiring or early-in-career developers?

Be well-versed in the goal of the product, customer workflow, and the problem before diving into the solution. Talk to customers to understand what life is like in their shoes.

This will lead to better decision making and a better product. Hard skills are important for developers, but so are soft skills.

Just for fun: what was your first computer or your most memorable piece of tech?

An Intel 386 with Windows 95. It arrived right after my school year ended – I squandered a perfectly good summer playing Wolfenstein 3D for hours on end.

Thank you, Suchi, for taking the time to share your story. Stay tuned to learn more about the honorees in our series of interviews. You can also read more about the honorees in this Insider article, which unpacks how they’re shaping a better future for developers.