Leadership Insights Chapter 1: Kumar Pratik, MD, GeekyAnts

GeekyAnts is having its best years, despite the pandemic! Starting as a service company that felt the tremors of the 2009 recession, it bounced back a few years later with the efforts of a bunch of revolutionaries that brought a dead horse back to life. That bunch of idealists now represent GeekyAnts and are spearheaded by Kumar Pratik, the man who started it all, who is also the Managing Director of GeekyAnts.

In my almost three years of working at GeekyAnts, I’ve seen Pratik run a perfectly well oiled machine that has now risen to prominence in the App Development Industry. I had the opportunity to sit with Pratik and discuss the kind of thought process that enabled him to manage such a responsibility with such ease.

The following Q&A has been edited to deliver ease of understanding and clarity.

In 2012, Sanket, Megha, Atul, Varun & Saurabh revitalized Sahusoft India Pvt. Ltd. and I joined in 2013. We pooled in all of our knowledge and experience, changed things and rebranded as GeekyAnts in 2014. That was the beginning.

The vision behind GeekyAnts was simple. Drive change. Tech changed my life for the better and I wanted GeekyAnts to be an instrument of that change. We’ve always looked to provide excellent and innovative solutions through the use of technology and that is what we are doing today. You can call it Product Development or Client Services. We like to call it ‘change’.

My past experiences led me to wear multiple hats and take care of a variety of functions that are essential for an organization to function. It is the learnings that I got from those experiences that got me where I am today.

We, as a culture, are always looking for new technologies which excite us and always want to learn. That has been a major role-player in how GeekyAnts has made its place in the industry, and we have always planned our growth based on our gut feelings and the metrics that keep the company profitable while maintaining the very culture that got it there.

The very natural challenge comes from the fact that every single aspect of a company needs an equal level of attention to detail, which, in itself, is a hard thing to do. The very nature of the job makes me a better person each day, as it teaches me new things and how to solve new problems on the daily. Another big challenge came from the very culture that we are trying to maintain, which requires onboarding of young and like-minded talent. We, as a company, are not just employers, but want to help the younger generation cultivate their talent and find their love for technology with us.

Emotional intelligence, by all means. We, as humans, are emotional beings and emotions are our biggest blessing. But they can also hinder growth when tough decisions are to be made. A good leader needs to understand their own emotions and manage them well, while understanding emotions of others and managing them as well. The ability to express emotions in a constructive manner is vital for any leader, which also includes taking those emotions from others, like criticism. Listening, empathising and reasoning. These are the three keys to unlocking success as a leader. Great leaders let their emotions act as a catalyst for individuals and groups, and channel their motivation and passion towards a common goal. Great leaders bring change, make an impact and change the world.

Competition? We never gave it a thought. 😄

7 years is a long time in the future and the world is nothing less than unpredictable. We just aim to keep our core values intact and build on top of it. The three words - Research, Collaborate & Build have guided us through to the other side so far and we trust that they would continue to guide us in the coming years. It's a fast-evolving world. We will move forward with agility and adapt as we progress.