Leading with Agility Date:   Wednesday , December 02, 2009 “I started out as a trainee programmer in Kirloskar Computer Services. Today, I influence associate base of more than 4,000 through process framework, training, campus induction, and knowledge management,” says CS Shobha, Senior Director, quality, knowledge management, and training of Dell Perot Systems. With 21 years of experience in software delivery and knowledge and talent management, Shobha is a quality management expert in Dell Perot Systems. At the time Shobha entered IT field, the general notion in the society was that women should find jobs that fit in with their life pattern rather than choosing a career that would define their life-graph. At that time, computer science wasn’t offered as a specialized course in Indian universities. But Shobha confidently ventured into this field, after securing eighth rank in her bachelors degree course in Karnataka University. She has donned a number of roles since then, from being an Analyst, Project Leader, and Senior Project Manager to her current role as Senior Director. In fact, the turning point in her career came much before she joined Dell Perot Systems. While working at ITTI, she managed her most complex development project that helped her evolve professionally and introduced her to the world of quality assurance. Shobha learnt from her mentors in her career the need to connect with people and their aspirations, think out-of-the-box, cascade strategic thinking to operations, and pay attention to detail. Slowly, she molded herself into a leader. Since then, there has been no looking back. Today at Dell Perot Systems, her role entails ensuring that application solutions are built using a consistent, predictable, and highly matured process framework, which is aligned to international accreditations like ISO 9001, CMMI Level 5, PCMM, ISO 20000, and ISO 27001. Every manager and leader has a mantra when it comes to leading his or her employees on the right path. According to Shobha, as a leader one needs to appreciate diversity. This can help in bringing in multi-dimensional views. But like everyone else, she sometimes has to deal with sensitive issues. Most freshers, being just out of the college, find it difficult to adapt to the work culture. “Managing each employee differently is the key,” says Shobha. But life isn’t just about learning and teaching. Shobha believes that it is vital to get out of the work zone and network. An active member of Bangalore’s SPIN (Software Process Improvement Networks) Shobha has received its award in 2006 for her significant contribution to nurturing the spirit of sharing and growing SPIN. So what drives this leader to work hard? “The fact that you can make an impact on what is done every day, the process of putting together a strategy, and having a vision around it are enough to drive you to work for long hours,” says Shobha. The sharing of a vision with the team and the execution of decisions and plans keep her going. When not at work, Shobha spends time with her daughters, taking a keen interest in their activities. Also a travel buff, Shobha always looks forward to traveling and seeing new places, an opportunity that her work amply provides. Her advice to today’s budding women techies is to align their careers with their personal lives. “Stretch and speed it up only when you can invest more time and use your time wisely,” says Shobha. She also believes in holistic well being - having a dose of spirituality, physical fitness, and healthy life style. The biggest challenge is of course to innovate. Services and products have to be constantly made innovative, user friendly, and smart. To people like Shobha, this comes naturally. Of course, that’s when we envy them.