At Lane Four, our culture isn’t just something we talk about. It shows up in how we lead, how we collaborate, and how we show up for each other every day. In our Day in the Life series, we step behind the scenes to spotlight the people driving impact from the inside out.
We recently had the chance to sit down with Mathieu Hubbard, Director of Software Development, to explore how he balances leadership, team collaboration, and getting things done while navigating the day-to-day with clarity and a human-first approach.
Q: What does a typical day look like for you in your role at Lane Four?
Mathieu: “My mornings usually start with a pulse check. This helps to quickly review what’s moving, what’s blocked, and where I need to spend my own time. I check email and Slack first to see what is urgent, what the team is talking about, and where I might need to step in. From there, I scan my calendar to understand the flow of the day/week. Lately, I am in a lot more meetings, so after scanning my calendar I figure out how to balance calls with development time.
Monday is important because it sets the tone for the week. I run our development resourcing call, where we align on priorities and make sure everyone is clear on what they’re doing. Later in the week, usually Thursday, I do another check-in to recalibrate with the team to see who is ahead, who might need more time, or who has extra capacity.
Fridays often give me space to focus. Less meetings, more heads down work. It’s a good balance. And honestly, no two days ever feel quite the same, but that’s part of what keeps it interesting.”
Q: What tools or systems help you and your team stay organized and productive?
Mathieu: “Our PSA Resource Planner is essential. It helps me track availability, assign work, and plan out the week. It is where I can see who is at capacity and who has room to take on something new. It’s not just about assigning tasks, but more so making sure we’re setting the team up for success, every week.
Slack is where most of our day-to-day conversations happen. Quick questions, updates, and sharing ideas keeps everyone connected. When we’re not communicating over Slack, we’re usually in Google Meet.
On the development side, most of the team uses VSCode. I switch between different IDEs depending on what I am working on. For version control, the team might use GitKraken or GitHub depending on what makes sense for a project or client (like Bitbucket or Azure Repos).
We also use project management tools like Jira and Asana for our own ticket management and for project work, one of these based on client-preferences. Some developers use client-specific tools such as Jira, Azure DevOps, or Slack Lists. It’s important we can meet our clients where they are without compromising our own workflows.”
Q: How do you balance your time between leading the team and doing technical work?
Mathieu: “It definitely depends on the day. Leadership, technical direction, and client delivery all require my attention, so I’ve built rhythms into my week to stay connected without getting stretched too thin.
I spread my one-on-ones across the week. That way, I can stay caught up with each of my direct reports without stacking all the conversations into a single day. Those touchpoints are critical though, not just for tracking progress, but for supporting growth across the team.
Once a month, we hold a dev knowledge share session that I really value. Team members bring something they have built or a problem they want feedback on. It’s not necessarily about showing off polished work, but rather learning in the open. Team members bring something they’ve built or a problem they’re working through, and we unpack it together. ”
Q: When assigning work, how do you think about people’s interests and growth?
Mathieu: “In one-on-ones, I pay attention to what people say they want to learn. When someone expresses curiosity about a topic, I try to assign it to them even if someone else has more experience. Lots of things come into play: their individual career growth and trajectory, what they want to be doing, and making sure we avoid just giving someone the same job because they are the expert.
Of course, practical constraints matter too, such as deadlines, complexity, and budget. Sometimes the most knowledgeable, experienced, or fastest person needs to take on a task. Availability is often the biggest factor. I try to be strategic about what makes the most sense for the team and the company, balancing current client work with people’s growth and interests. When someone has capacity, I like giving them opportunities to stretch instead of always relying on the same people.”
Q: How would you describe Lane Four’s culture, especially in your dev team, and which values resonate most with you as a leader?
Mathieu: “Be Human and Do Good Work go hand in hand for me. We set realistic expectations and do not expect people to be perfect. Mistakes happen and that is part of learning and growing, which is why we focus on doing good work, not perfect work.
The team is naturally curious. People want to understand why something works, not just complete a task. They make sure they understand the solution well enough to handle it themselves next time.
Own It and Do Good Work also resonate strongly with me. When teammates ask for help, they take ownership, reflect, and do their best. Across every team I have worked with, this mix of ownership, accountability, and curiosity drives how we collaborate, learn, and succeed. Personally, I think all of the values blend together in practice and are lived daily in how I lead, make decisions, and work with the team.”
Q: What advice would you give someone considering a development role here or aiming for leadership?
Mathieu: “If you are starting out, get in and do as much development as you can. Build examples, create a portfolio, and show your passion for the work. When people are hiring, they want to see how you think through problems and how your thought process develops, not just the final result.
When things go wrong and something doesn’t work as you planned, show how you approach breaking down a problem and how you iterate, rather than starting from scratch every time. That is just as important as technical skill because it demonstrates how you navigate challenges and learn along the way.
If you’re aiming for leadership, lead by example. Do your work well and support others without taking over. Be curious, reliable, and someone your teammates can count on. I never thought I would be in a management role, but I felt very supported here, especially by the executive leadership team, to take it on and grow into it. That support made all the difference.”
At Lane Four, Mathieu’s day shows what development operations look like when it is grounded in trust, curiosity, and a people-first approach. His mix of technical work, thoughtful resourcing, and steady leadership reflects a culture where teams grow through learning, collaboration, and doing good work together. For anyone curious about dev culture or leadership here, this conversation offers an authentic look at how we work and why our teams thrive. Stay tuned for our next DITL post!