Leander Neiss: Kindness Through Consistency

Leander Neiss has spent his career building software, solving technical problems, and working across cultures. A full stack engineer with a background in systems engineering, he has worked in both Germany and the United States and views kindness as the deliberate investment of effort toward creating positive outcomes.

Leander grew up in Wuppertal, Germany, before moving to Potsdam, just outside Berlin, to study IT Systems Engineering at the Hasso Plattner Institute. While completing both his bachelor's and master's degrees, he explored a wide range of interests including computer graphics, game development, databases, and machine learning. During his master's program, he completed an internship at SAP in California, his first experience in the United States. After graduating, he worked as a software engineer in Germany before relocating to Connecticut in 2023.

Today, Leander works as a full stack software engineer. Throughout his career, he has largely experienced supportive management and positive work environments. “In general, I have experienced a lot of kind leadership.” He spoke about leaders who encouraged employees to take care of their health, use sick time when needed, and maintain balance in their lives. He also highlighted the importance of creating opportunities for social connection through team activities and shared experiences. While software engineering is sometimes stereotyped as a field lacking empathy or human connection, his experiences have often been the opposite.

Working in both Germany and the United States has given him a dual perspective on workplace culture. He noted that Germany generally places a greater emphasis on work-life balance and employee wellbeing, supported in part by labor laws and cultural expectations. At the same time, every company and every individual is different and culture provides tendencies, not absolutes.

His perspective on leadership was shaped not only by his professional experiences, but also by his education. At the Hasso Plattner Institute, there is an emphasis on leadership and interpersonal skills alongside technical expertise. Students were expected to develop soft skills in addition to engineering knowledge. Leadership, communication, teamwork, and navigating human situations were treated as important parts of professional development. It reinforced the idea that building technology is only one part of the equation. Working effectively with people matters just as much.

Leander also shared a story from his first year at university that was meaningful to him. After accidentally oversleeping before a final exam, he woke up to a phone call from a classmate asking where he was. He jumped out of bed and ran from his dormitory to the classroom. His classmates were waiting, classical music was playing in the room, and the professor had delayed the start of the exam until he arrived. What could have been a stressful and costly mistake became a memorable example of consideration and understanding.

Outside of work, Leander's values are reflected in the choices that he makes as an individual. More than a decade ago, a conversation with a vegetarian friend prompted him to think more deeply about the consequences of everyday decisions. What stood out to him was the realization that he had never fully considered the consequences of his choices. After reflecting on the conversation, he decided becoming vegetarian was a relatively simple change that could have a meaningful impact. A few years later, he became vegan. For him, the decision was about reducing harm where possible and aligning his actions with his beliefs. “It is just the concept of trying to do good in the way that I can as an individual, to try to not harm animals, if possible, the environment if possible, and myself if possible.” The catalyst of a single reflective conversation turning into a sustained behavior change, emphasizes his implicit interest in how systems can be designed to support kindness.

“Investing in kindness is putting effort and resources into doing something positive.”

Leander Neiss is a software engineer whose approach to work and life demonstrates that kindness is often found in everyday choices. Through thoughtful leadership, respect for others, and a commitment to aligning actions with values, he shows that investing in kindness can be both practical and meaningful. Keep an eye out for more interviews.