Curious about what makes Norbert Csornai tick? In this interview, our Engineering Manager shares his passion for football, motorcycle rides, and exploring new places with his wife. He opens up about his career journey, his unique leadership style, and why building relationships is key at AscentCore. Norbert also talks about his love for tech, his favorite gadgets, and the lessons he’s learned along the way. Don’t miss his insights on what’s next in his career and the skills he’s eager to develop, especially in AI.
Tell us a bit about yourself. How does Norbi usually spend his personal time?
On a day to day basis either playing football, riding my motorcycle, playing video games or just binge watching something on Netflix. But alongside my wife, we try to always plan our next trip, either a city break or a full vacation, so far visiting half of Europe and planning to see as much as possible from the other continents as well.
What led you on your career path, to ultimately become an Engineering Manager?
I felt that by having this role I was contributing more to the team and the project. The job title says Engineering Manager, but my way of doing things is by being a servant leader, always at the team’s disposal and by continuously bringing team members to the spotlight.
What does a typical workday look like for you?
I guess it’s like most people’s day, starting at 9 AM with a good email inbox read and continuing with a daily scrum from 10 AM. Things start to be more particular in the afternoon when our American colleagues get to work and thus having meetings with them, sometimes even in the late evenings. And what I really like is that the usual ice breakers before these meetings are looking together over google maps, either over Romania or USA and talking about where we live or grew up.
You’re spearheading our constantly expanding team from Timișoara. How does this experience work for you?
I am very grateful that more than half of my team is in Timisoara, the same city I live in, and as a result we get to see each other once a week at the office. Those days are always so insightful because I spend more time talking to my colleagues about anything and everything, sometimes things that are not work related but important in their lives. Knowing these things also helps me in the way I manage the team and in the way I try to expand it with similar thinking people.
What is your favorite tech? How about your least favorite?
My favorite piece of tech is hands down my gaming PC, nothing compares with the sheer power of a desktop. Also, building it yourself gives you even more pride in it.
As a least favorite, I don’t think I have one. Every piece of tech I own serves a purpose for me and I think every piece of tech ever made serves or served a purpose for at least one person in this world.
What’s the best piece of tech-related media you’ve read/watched/listened to?
I always enjoyed the various experiments done on Linus Tech Tips, some of them being in my mind also but never having the resources to actually test them out.
Which is your favorite AscentCore value (Integrity, Relationships, Results) and why?
Hands down “Relationships”, I think it’s what made AscentCore the thriving company that is today. This core value is key to the way all employees see and feel about AscentCore but also it’s key to the way our customers also see and feel about the company.
What is the most important lesson you’ve learned in your time here at AscentCore?
To be patient was a hard but very valuable lesson that I learned here in AscentCore. To be patient not only with team members, but to be patient also with our customers, that we need to adapt and perform to each client’s needs.
What’s next in your career journey? What skills are you looking forward to developing?
From a managerial perspective I need to develop better business knowledge and here my direct manager and director of engineering are already helping me.
From a technical perspective I am in a pursuit of knowledge regarding everything related to AI and all of the ways we can apply it to our everyday lives.
