Dhananjaya Rayudu

CEO

Stixis Technologies

Short Description

I learn from mistakes, and put every effort to improve the future of the organization. Keeping calm and avoiding over-excitement or overstress is the ideal mindset to maintain during a disappointing phase.

Brief about company, offerings and foundation of the company

Stixis Technologies Pvt Ltd founded in 2009 specializes in providing customized Technology and Business Solutions. Our IT services, innovative business solutions bring in a high level of certainty with unmatched excellence. Stixis we combine domain knowledge with offshore cost advantages and resource flexibility to develop industry applications, which help clients, optimize time-to-market and minimize software development risks. As the world of offshoring has evolved, our delivery & engagement model includes advanced capabilities in running Agile and Lean engagements with a mix of client specific Offshore models. Our style is always pragmatic and transparent, forming the backbone for our delivery approach. We deliver complex solutions to clients around the world; and always with pride, passion and an eye towards perfection. Our end-to-end service offering includes Consulting, industry-specific solutions, application development & maintenance, outsourced software product development, infrastructure managed services, creative services, Mobility solutions etc.

Risks involved in business and way of addressing

In today's economic climate short-term engagements are playing a bigger role than the long term ones. Employee’s expectations are the biggest risk for any services company as the general mindset is changing and growing if left un-managed. Even with the sluggish economy we’re experiencing today, people often switch jobs and companies.We recognize that employees are key stakeholders and a vital source of sustainability engagement and ideas to enhance the company’s sustainability journey. Employee involvement needs to embed sustainability into the corporate culture. Actively pursue a reporting system that exemplifies a similar transparency and rigor as the system used for financial reporting.

Most critical decision

Against a backdrop of Volatile market in US, client behaviors are fundamentally changing towards offshoring. Stixis business had to evolve, shifting its strategic focus on emerging economies (Africa) was the most critical decision and set priorities to meet an altered market landscape.

Some of the difficulties faced while building product/ solution

Lack of Collective Commitment: Team has experienced and brilliant individuals but individuals were not working efficiently as a team. Mitigation - We adopted Work breakdown functionality (feature) based and value creation based that is delivered by cross-functional, self-organizing teams. Lack of Team Ownership Problem - Team had a lack of ownership and pride in the work delivered. Mitigation - Delivery based on end-to-end ownership of the value creation flow and increased focus on continuous deployment practices. Bottom-line, we build a unique operating model, which drives radical improvements to end-to-end cycle time, throughput velocity, software/product quality and reductions to Work in Process.

Three big lessons/ mistakes encountered while building company

1) Having an autocratic or top down management style, 2) Challenge of setting a “Unique Client Centric” engagement model and practice it 3) Communication of Goals

Different actions if I rebuild my company from scratch all over again

Be a perfect mixture of Micromanager & Empowering Leader. I follow as quoted by Mother Teresa – “She said the role of the CEO is a contact sport, you need to go around shaking people's hands and holding shoulders. That's the role of a CEO. This cannot be outsourced! The CEO's role cannot be communicated through direct reports. There's nothing called enough communication, you've got to say it again and again. Putting it on the Intranet is a silly thing to do, nobody goes there. You have to communicate what matters to you and the company, whether if s values or compliance.”

Motivation and Drives factor

Passion is a motivation for myself. I drive with Passion, and inspire others to become great. The key driver for me is to working together in a true and consistent manner aligned with my dreams to meet the set goals. Passion is very important element in my life that helps my motivation. It is in my passion where I identify the purpose and run towards achieving my vision.

Unique about my way of motivating troops

Collaboration is my Mantra. I make it a point of having informal lunch with each employee at regular intervals. By this I address there pain points and discuss on the main areas which every employee should know their key “Needle Movers” for the Week, Month, Quarter, Year and deliver results consistently. I treat my team equally but differently. On discretionary parts, I treat everybody equal, but on emotional parts, I treat them differently.

Way of choosing my people

Employees are a key “RIGHT people for the RIGHT positions makes all the difference”. I motivate my employees by creating work environments that breed motivation.We have specific talent assessment programs, followed by a structured performance management model, which helps us identify skills and capabilities in a candidate who are crucial to our current and future success. We focus on both critical roles (from a top-down view) and critical people (from a bottom-up perspective)". Our attrition rate has historically been one of the lowest in the industry (9-11%). Introducing SEAP (Stixis Employee Development Program) is aimed on company-wide talent development. This program brings in innovative ideas from all employees, evaluates them and rewards qualified ideas, as well as awarding the individuals with bonuses and SEAP scores convertible into various gifts and incentives.

The challenges and lessons learnt to get first customer

Hard work and transparency in my past career proved fruitful to get my first customer. I had to build a team of engineers who can be trusted to make business critical decisions, and can manage full software lifecycles independently, despite being thousands of miles and several time zones apart.

Experience of reaching out to potential investors

I haven’t experienced that as it is Self-Funded. Presently I am not looking at funding as we are had a growth of 40% last financial year 2011-12 and expecting the same growth this financial year 2012-13.

My role at different dimensions as the company evolved

I’ve been in every position, wearing various hats starting from operations, marketing, strategy, financing, creation of company culture, human resources, hiring, firing, compliance with safety regulations, sales, etc.—it all falls on my shoulders.

As a leader how I make sure that I am connecting the right dots

My thoughts related to entrepreneurship/ leadership and management

As a leader your team should see you as a uni-dimensional person. You all need to have a Star team not a team of stars. It's very easy to get the later. When you get all employees to think business and brand, then you have star teams.

Best company I admire globally

Apple Inc., - For their Innovation, Design, and User Experience.