You Can’t Build Impact Alone

When people think of software engineering, they picture code, algorithms, system design — and sure, all of that matters. But the longer I’ve been in this industry, the clearer one thing becomes: We are in a people business.

The biggest breakthroughs, the most complex launches, the hardest decisions — they all come down to people working together. And the strongest careers I’ve seen aren’t built on technical skills alone. They’re built on relationships, trust, and mentorship.

Lessons from Azure Compute

Back in 2016, I joined Azure Compute with a mission: build Resource Central — a unified machine learning platform to power intelligence across the Azure control plane. I partnered with Marcus Fontoura and Ricardo Bianchini, and we had big ideas.

But we quickly realized something: our vision wasn’t going anywhere without deep collaboration across dozens of teams. And I was the new guy.

That moment changed how I thought about my work. I realized that getting people onboard wasn’t about pitching ideas or pushing an agenda, it was about listening first. I started spending less time “selling the vision” and more time understanding; What they cared about? What motivated them? What challenges were they trying to solve?

One example that really stuck with me was in the early days of designing Resource Central. Our initial approach was to ship a single, general-purpose, thread-safe DLL — a dynamically linked library that clients could use to load and execute ML models. Technically solid, but very self-contained. It was the only view of RC we offered to external clients.

But after several rounds of conversations with partner teams and early users, we realized something: this wasn’t going to meet people where they were. Teams wanted flexibility. They wanted easier integration paths. So, we pivoted — and decided to expose Resource Central through a RESTful API instead.

That decision made RC more accessible, better aligned with how teams already worked, and ultimately helped us gain much broader traction across Azure. It showed me that listening isn’t just polite, it’s strategic. It’s how good ideas become adopted ideas.

This experience taught me a critical principle.  Building trust. Finding common ground. What happened to that trust we built back then? It still pays off today, almost a decade later.

You’ve probably heard the advice: “It’s important to network.” And yes, that’s true — but that alone is not enough. What really moves the needle is intentional relationships. That means:

·         Following through.

·         Understanding what motivates others.

·         Being someone people want to work with again.

·         Remembering there’s a human being on the other side of the table, or of the screen.

Especially when you're trying to influence or collaborate across teams, it's not enough to say "this work matters to me." You have to connect it to why it should matter to them, too.

That’s what unlocks momentum. That’s how you move ideas forward — together.

The Power of Mentorship

There’s another type of relationship that’s been equally important in my journey: mentorship. Whether formal or informal, I’ve always looked for mentors — people who would give me unfiltered, honest feedback. People who saw the version of me I could grow into and, to be honest, some of those conversations hurt. I’ve been told:

·         “You’re not ready for this role.”

·         “You seem busy, but I don’t see the impact.”

·         “Have you thought about what really matters to you?”

At the time, it stung. I thought I had it all figured out but those words stuck with me — and, over time, helped me grow more than anything else.

Good mentors give you clarity, perspective, and sometimes a much-needed reality check. When you're open to it, it's one of the most valuable gifts you can receive — and eventually give to someone else.

In my last post, I shared the 3C Framework for high-performing engineers: Curiosity, Consistency, and Confidence. None of those traits thrive in isolation.

·         You develop curiosity when you learn from others and see how they approach problems.

·         You build consistency when someone holds you accountable and you feel part of something bigger than yourself.

·         You grow confidence when you’re supported, challenged, and given honest feedback.

That’s why relationships — and mentorship especially — are such powerful accelerators. They make you better, faster. They expand your perspective. They create the trust needed to do high-impact work across teams, roles, and organizations.

So, if you’re early in your career — or even 10 years in — I’d encourage you to ask:

·         Who am I investing in, not just working with?

·         Am I building real trust, or just keeping things transactional?

·         Do I have mentors who challenge me — and am I offering that to others too?

Let me leave you with a quick story.

I first met Marcus Fontoura back in 2010 — six years before Resource Central even existed. It was a casual conversation at a database conference. We talked about tech, exchanged ideas, and kept in touch.

 Years later, after Marcus joined Microsoft, he became a mentor to me — someone I could count on for honest feedback, guidance, and support. That relationship, built over time, eventually led me to work with him on Resource Central — a project that truly transformed my career.

It’s a reminder that relationships don’t just open doors — they build paths you didn’t even know existed.  The code changes. The systems evolve. But the relationships? Those are what shape our growth — and carry us forward.