An interview with Anil Chouhan
Anil Chouhan
is a practicing professional with over 16 years of experience in
Marketing, IT, and Design. Over the years he has built and managed many
groups of IT, consulting and design professionals in US as well as
India. He has worked and consulted with many global companies.
He is a Director of Onio Design and was previously
Managing Director of Synygy, Inc. and VP of International Sales. Anil
moved back to India in 2004 to help Synygy set up its India center
which he grew to over 200 people.
Managing Director of Synygy, Inc. and VP of International Sales. Anil
moved back to India in 2004 to help Synygy set up its India center
which he grew to over 200 people.
He has BE – Production degree from Pune
University, a MMS – Marketing degree from S. P. Jain Institute of
Management and Research (SPJIMR), and MS in Information Technology from
Texas A&M University, USA.
University, a MMS – Marketing degree from S. P. Jain Institute of
Management and Research (SPJIMR), and MS in Information Technology from
Texas A&M University, USA.
ITVidya: Anil, Congrats on your new venture CatterFly. What inspired you to start Catterfly ?
Anil: I
have worked both in India and in US. Here I hired over 200 people in a
year and one of the key thing I noticed is that many of them were
operating in the new world with old paradigms of how to be successful.
I saw that these individuals were very talented and had the hunger to
succeed. All that was needed was some guidance and coaching to steer
them in the right direction and then would just soar! That is where my
inspiration for starting Catterfly came.
have worked both in India and in US. Here I hired over 200 people in a
year and one of the key thing I noticed is that many of them were
operating in the new world with old paradigms of how to be successful.
I saw that these individuals were very talented and had the hunger to
succeed. All that was needed was some guidance and coaching to steer
them in the right direction and then would just soar! That is where my
inspiration for starting Catterfly came.
ITVidya: We
understand you were the MD of the India Operations of Synygy, USA. How
is the transition from being MD of a large company to running your
startup Catterfly ?
understand you were the MD of the India Operations of Synygy, USA. How
is the transition from being MD of a large company to running your
startup Catterfly ?
Anil:
I have had my share of successes and the associated rewards so now I
was looking for something that would be exciting. I call Catterfly
“passion work” so it does not feel like work and its rewards are
different than the financial rewards of earnings dollars.
I have had my share of successes and the associated rewards so now I
was looking for something that would be exciting. I call Catterfly
“passion work” so it does not feel like work and its rewards are
different than the financial rewards of earnings dollars.
ITVidya: Can you share us your vision for Catterfly ?
Anil:
Today just like people go to colleges to become engineers, in the near
future they would learn principles of personal excellence and success
through organizations like Catterfly. I want Catterfly to be a
liberating force that helps people achieve and be their best. I want
the programs of Catterfly to have the credibility that a high end
engineering degree would have because I believe that “Attitude and mind
set” of a person is more important in the persons happiness and success
than just scientific knowledge.
Today just like people go to colleges to become engineers, in the near
future they would learn principles of personal excellence and success
through organizations like Catterfly. I want Catterfly to be a
liberating force that helps people achieve and be their best. I want
the programs of Catterfly to have the credibility that a high end
engineering degree would have because I believe that “Attitude and mind
set” of a person is more important in the persons happiness and success
than just scientific knowledge.
ITVidya: What are the key challenges currently being faced by the new generation IT Professionals ?
Anil:
The biggest challenge for a new generation IT professional is how to
create their own unique niche. Everyone has pressure to follow the
standard path and pursue the MNC brand name or the title or the money.
The challenge for them would be go beyond that and continuously learn
and grow. The challenge would be to re-invent oneself may be every
couple of years. Unless they do that, they will run against the glass
ceiling and there would dis-enhancement very soon.
The biggest challenge for a new generation IT professional is how to
create their own unique niche. Everyone has pressure to follow the
standard path and pursue the MNC brand name or the title or the money.
The challenge for them would be go beyond that and continuously learn
and grow. The challenge would be to re-invent oneself may be every
couple of years. Unless they do that, they will run against the glass
ceiling and there would dis-enhancement very soon.
Also another key challenge for IT professionals
would be move beyond tools and technologies into software product
innovation and into areas of creating new products and not just
delivery lower end services.
would be move beyond tools and technologies into software product
innovation and into areas of creating new products and not just
delivery lower end services.
ITVidya:
We understand that you are doing a seminar for new entrants in IT
industry on Personal Success. What is the intended outcome for the
participants who join the Personal Success Seminar ?
We understand that you are doing a seminar for new entrants in IT
industry on Personal Success. What is the intended outcome for the
participants who join the Personal Success Seminar ?
Anil:
The key outcome of the seminar is to provide clarity to the
participants on how they can be successful and do it without
compromising on their satisfaction and personal life. Illustrating that
everyone can be successful and it does not have to be so hard. The idea
is for them to have the tools so that they can proactively manage their
personal growth and achieve the results they want and deserve.
The key outcome of the seminar is to provide clarity to the
participants on how they can be successful and do it without
compromising on their satisfaction and personal life. Illustrating that
everyone can be successful and it does not have to be so hard. The idea
is for them to have the tools so that they can proactively manage their
personal growth and achieve the results they want and deserve.
ITVidya: How is your training different from scores of others in the training industry ?
Anil: The
programs we have created are based on global experience but designed
for Indian Scenario. We as Indians have very specific “mental blocks”
and “limiting paradigms” and the programs are designed to address
those.
programs we have created are based on global experience but designed
for Indian Scenario. We as Indians have very specific “mental blocks”
and “limiting paradigms” and the programs are designed to address
those.
These programs are based on “practitioners experience” and not just behavioral theories.
ITVidya: What are your future plans for Catterfly ?
Anil: I
want Catterfly to be a movement – a movement which encourages people to
seek support to be their best – to constantly learn and grow. In terms
of specific business goals – I would like Catterfly to be present
across India doing Personal Success programs within 3 years. On a more
personal note I would have liked for Catterfly to have coached more
than 1 Lakh people in 3 years.
want Catterfly to be a movement – a movement which encourages people to
seek support to be their best – to constantly learn and grow. In terms
of specific business goals – I would like Catterfly to be present
across India doing Personal Success programs within 3 years. On a more
personal note I would have liked for Catterfly to have coached more
than 1 Lakh people in 3 years.