11/05/2026
Most organizations don’t struggle because they lack strategy.
They struggle because they over-index on ex*****on.
Last week at Stripe Bucharest, together with Anne Dumitrache, we hosted the seventh event, part of the “Upskilling the Romanian IT Industry” pilot series, called 𝗦𝗲𝗹𝗳 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 & 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗰 𝗩𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻.
A big thank you to Stripe and Aleodor Tabarcea for hosting us and for supporting conversations that challenge how we think about leadership, contribution, and impact in the Romanian tech ecosystem. 🙏
One of the core ideas discussed throughout the evening was that strategic thinking is often misunderstood.
We tend to associate strategy with hierarchy: something created “at the top” and executed elsewhere.
But in reality, 𝗼𝗿𝗴𝗮𝗻𝗶𝘇𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗹𝘆 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗮𝘁 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗹𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹, professionals who understand context, make intentional decisions, prioritize effectively, and connect their work to broader business outcomes.
𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗱 𝗮𝗻 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝗮𝘀𝘀𝘂𝗺𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝘆 𝗶𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗼𝗻𝗹𝘆 𝗰𝗮𝘀𝗰𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼𝗽-𝗱𝗼𝘄𝗻. 𝗜𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝗮𝗹𝘀𝗼 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝘁 𝗯𝗼𝘁𝘁𝗼𝗺-𝘂𝗽.
A few ideas particularly resonated with the audience:
🔹 Strategic thinking starts long before a leadership title
🔹 The difference between ex*****on and strategy often comes down to perspective, not seniority
🔹 𝗢𝗿𝗴𝗮𝗻𝗶𝘇𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘃𝗮𝗹𝘂𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗼𝗻𝗹𝘆 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗱𝗼, 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝗪𝗛𝗬 𝗶𝘁 𝗺𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀.
🔹 Self-leadership means taking ownership not only of tasks, but also of direction, prioritization, and impact
🔹 In fast-moving environments, the ability to zoom out becomes just as important as the ability to deliver
Because when everything feels operational, there is little room left for reflection, long-term thinking, or intentional prioritization.
And yet, those are exactly the capabilities increasingly required from future leaders.
On stage, the discussion was guided by:
🎙️ Aleodor Tabarcea - Engineering Manager @ Stripe
🎙️ Anne Dumitrache - Trainer, Coach & Organizational Psychologist
Perhaps the strongest takeaway from the evening was this:
𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝘂𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗴𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗼𝗻𝗹𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝗲𝘅𝗲𝗰𝘂𝘁𝗲 𝘄𝗲𝗹𝗹, 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗯𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗲𝘅𝗲𝗰𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗲𝘅𝘁, 𝗼𝘄𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘃𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻.
More events, discussions, and learning experiences are being prepared by Anne Dumitrache as part of the “Upskilling the Romanian IT Industry” series, bringing together leaders, practitioners, and communities willing to challenge how we work, lead, and grow in the AI era.
Stay tuned for the next editions. 🚀
Entrepreneurially yours,
Andra Ghibuțiu & Grégoire Vigroux
