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Loading...Professional success is something many people crave. The truth is, everyone has a different definition of success, and in order to achieve, you first need to understand exactly what success means for you.
There’s this saying that a person should leave something behind to mark their passing through life with a purpose. It applies in both personal and professional areas.
Mihai Cimpean, Customer Success Manager at Pentalog Cluj, has many reasons to be proud of the life he’s created. He has a beautiful family by his side; he’s the proud daddy of a cute little boy; and when it comes to his career, he’s surrounded by friends that make every day count.
“My colleagues are great; they push me to be better, and to do more. Having them next to me, and sharing a similar mindset, I keep walking no matter the difficulties.“
Steady Growth to a Management Position
Mihai has lived in Cluj all his life, one of the cities in Romania with the most spectacular development in recent years. That makes him “ardelean get-beget” – what we call people living in the central part of the country. And we say it with admiration because they have access to a beautiful area, where the IT, cultural, and entertainment industries are flourishing.
After graduating from the Telecommunication Faculty, Mihai joined a gaming company for a couple of years. He’s had a passion for games and computers ever since he was a young boy.
In 2006, he applied to the Work & Travel program and enjoyed the American experience for an entire summer. It changed him to see all of those polite and happy people, unlike Romanians who had just come out of communism after 50 years. Those times were hectic!
Determined to “take his game to the next level,” Mihai joined Pentalog in 2011. His first position was as a QA on Pentalog Cluj’s most popular project, and then he became a Scrum Master on the same project.
“It was then that I started to deepen my knowledge of the Agile methodology. Before Pentalog, I’d barely even heard of this concept. I attended Agile training and presentations on the quality side.”
The ride became even more exciting as Mihai progressed further into his career.
The early years of Pentalog Cluj: “I was one of the first five people ever hired at Pentalog Cluj, and, at one moment, it seemed as if we were on our own, doing what we wanted. We became very good friends, and we still are.”
In 2015, Mihai took over management of the delivery center in Cluj: “It was difficult to make the transition to the Customer Success Manager role because, no matter how much I prepared for the job, reality hit me in the face.”
Today, Mihai smiles when he remembers all the daylight hours he invested, the haste with which he assimilated new notions about sales, project matching, appraisal, return on investment, business objectives, HR, etc.
“The first six months were the toughest. At first, I only had to do ten things daily, and now there were 100. It was a totally different experience! So, it took a while to get used to the new mindset, to be able to address my colleagues as their boss and still make them open up to me like they did with any other colleague. For me, it has always been important to make people feel safe around me, to tell me what they like and what they think, to share information.”
“Jack of All Trades”
For Mihai, holding the most important position in Pentalog Cluj is not something to brag about.
“I’m the kind of person who doesn’t seek fame to achieve professional success. But I do believe that if you are responsible, hardworking, and have the right attitude, results will speak for themselves. I’m focused on achieving the company’s goals, bringing more clients to our Cluj Delivery Center, enlarging the current team and projects we now have in Cluj, having both our customers and employees happy, hiring new colleagues, talking with clients, resolving crises, etc. I’m a Jack of all trades.”
Like all the Customer Success Managers in Pentalog, Mihai stayed loyal to the company due to new opportunities, challenging him to learn more and grow. But most of all, he likes the atmosphere and the people at Pentalog Cluj.
“If you ask me, I think we’re pretty much the same as we were eight years ago: more people but still very friendly, fun, relaxed, and ready to break the stereotypes. This is what I have been trying to preserve all this time.”
Pentalog: “The Place to Be”
Pentalog has an excellent reputation in the local market due to Mihai’s efforts to organize tech events for the IT community. This way, he managed to draw the attention of many IT professionals, even from other cities. He wants all of his colleagues to take pride in being part of such a great company.
Many great things have happened under his watch: the number of employees almost doubled due to the projects’ expansion. In 2019, they moved to a new and modern office space: the Paintbrush Factory (Fabrica de Pensule) – a symbol of the old Cluj where some of the finest paintbrushes in Europe were produced until the mid-90s.
One of the most rewarding achievements is introducing new and diverse technologies: PHP, .NET, Python, JavaScript, Mobile, Java – thus continuing to be a pivotal point in the IT business.
Take a closer look at what we do at Pentalog Cluj!
Although times are difficult now, Mihai is excited about the future. He remains positive as he smoothly navigates through periods of uncertainty, sometimes disappointment, but also many joyful moments.
“I don’t get hung up on problems anymore, but I learned this lesson in time. And what’s most important: find ways to clear your mind and relax. For me, family and sports work just fine.”
If you look for serenity in your life, a great place to work and make friends, support from every colleague, and even from the manager of the agency, Pentalog Cluj is the place for you. “Fun, friends, family, and business” – this is Mihai’s short version to describe his Penta-experience.
Check out some of Mihai’s articles:
- Pentalog Cluj IT Center – Our Story Continues with a Strong Team
- Factories Are Dead, Long Live Digitalized Factories: Pentalog Cluj Has a New Home
- Pentalog Careers: A Team Leader’s True Story to Success
