App Entrepreneur Hussain Fakhruddin Talks About His Role As A Coach At Teksmobile

In a recent exclusive interview, noted app evangelist Hussain Fakhruddin - the CEO of Teksmobile (Australia| India| Sweden| USA) - reflected on his role as a coach and a motivator for his colleagues over the years. The startup recently completed 11 years of existence, and as Mr. Fakhruddin highlighted, human resource is the greatest asset that the company has in possession.

Here is the transcription of an excerpt from the interview:

“I like robots, but only in story books and movie screens. When I had conceptualized a tech startup some 11 springs back - one which would have the capacity to challenge the biggest of mobile app companies in the world - I was clear about one thing: I did not want robots in my company. From the very start, Teksmobile has had the good fortune of having diverse and interesting personalities in its fold - and I daresay that they, with a little bit of guidance and coaching from yours truly - have been instrumental in forming the Teks success story.

Take the case, for instance, of the man who performs the dual role of Key Accounts Manager and the Office Admin at my office. A true-blue workaholic, he goes about his job everyday with a smile on his face, and an easy-going confidence that is well and truly infectious. The first thing I had noticed when he came in for interview at Teks was the steely determination in his eyes and a willingness to embrace challenges. Given the range of responsibilities that this post brings with it, I was initially apprehensive about finding an employee who would be good enough for it.This person has met my expectations, and then some.

As an entrepreneur - although I prefer to think of myself more as a head of a work-family - I try to maintain a pleasant demeanour all the time. This is one quality that I share with the person I am talking about. He is always available for a chat, has the patience to listen to every issues and grievances of others, is game for every challenge - from something like sorting out a faulty office wifi router, to managing important corporate documents. For this guy, weekends do not make a difference - and evidently, doing a job - and doing it well - is all that matters. A trusty, intelligent, dedicated sidekick of mine!

Then there is the senior iOS developer, who has been a member of Team Teks for close to a decade now. When in the zone, he talks very little, often has messed up eating times, and has a wacko gameface on...you will never know whether he is trying to debug a piece of code or watching a particularly intense film! He takes every new project as an opportunity - an opportunity to expand his horizons, to learn more, and to prove his tech skills all over again. At times, he seems less like a software engineer, and more like a soldier in a fight.

So this person is all serious almost the entire time he is at office, but can you mark him as just another geek? You absolutely can’t - and the man’s diverse interests caught my attention from the very start. Put a DSLR camera in his hand, and the hidden photography-lover inside him comes to the fore - as he would lovingly check out its buttons and lens and what-not, with a tale or two about the basics of photography ready on his lips. He is also someone the junior developers look up to...someone who can be relied upon to help others, no matter how big a coding-related problem might seem to be. The guy is a big-time lover of travelling too, and of course, has a great many snaps (all taken by himself) from places from all over the world. The most impressive thing about him is the way he constantly tries to learn and improve his skill-sets, while not letting go of things outside work that he is passionate about. If ever I need a person to bounce new ideas from, the guy is my best ally.

Every team has a funnyman, and at Teks, the head of the graphics department dons that role. Meet him outside office, and he is going to regale you with some of the most hilarious PJs and strange stories...often about himself. He is also an expert in leg-pulling, always with a prank or three up his sleeve. The man is not shy of having fun at his own expense - often bringing the house down with his ‘horrific’ (there’s no other word for it!) singing skills.

With this person, it’s a classic ‘Dr-Jekyll-And-Mr.-Hyde story’. When he first joined the Teks team, all that I saw was a bundle of energy, who was just very, very good at his job. All that I had to do is channelise this energy and give him a platform to showcase his skills. ‘Creativity’ is the middle name of this guy - as he continues to add life to graphics and images and animations, for apps and websites, and promotional stuff, and practically everything else. Over the years, I have actually increased his responsibilities gradually - and he has taken to the new tasks like a duck to water. He also doubles up as a mentor to our in-house animators and game developers. A classic example of how you can bring your A-game to work, without ever having to sacrifice your inherent ‘joie-de-vivre’. Inspiring, indeed!

Every human being has their own, discrete personalities and traits - and I keep reiterating the importance of holding on to that, for everyone at Teksmobile. There is that one intern who joined as a part of the content team, who is now one of the senior app testers at office. The nickname for one of our senior PHP developers is ‘slow-motion’ - but while at work, he is among the fastest to get things done, and his eye for quality is outstanding. A couple of Android developers have taken up the challenge of temporarily moving overseas (Germany) and working from there. Then there is the curious case of our digital marketer - who gets totally zoned out when a keyboard is within reach - and often makes others wonder about the reason why he does not even get up to eat! The project managers who are always on the lookout to keep track of tasks, the HR lady who does much more than just schedule interviews and keep track of leaves, the animator who would rank among the biggest movie fanatics ever, the iOS developer who takes on the leadership mantle whenever someone is roasted at office (generally during the monthly birthday parties) - each person brings his/her unique qualities to office, and I feel that it is this diversity that has helped Teksmobile assume its current stature as a market leader.

My company is a great example of the whole unit being greater than the sum of its parts. I feel proud...whenever I see my team of diverse individuals casting their differences aside to work together, bringing more success to the Teks brand in the process. 11 years ago, I had a dream of heading a tech startup - and these people have shared my ambition in their own ways, to give shape to my ambition. I have given them the required guidance and advice whenever required...but at the end of the day, they deserve every bit of recognition for their stellar work for the ‘Teks Family’. I should take this opportunity to thank our partners from Sweden, Australia and the US as well.

At Teks, it is all about showcasing your talents, shaping your own luck, and becoming ‘bigger and better’ than ever before. Far from being robots, my employees are a team of disruptors - steadfastly refusing to follow preset norms, and constantly driving technology forward. And that’s just what I want them to be!”

Teksmobile is, at present, one of the top cross-platform mobile app and API development companies worldwide. The company is also working on projects based on cutting-edge technologies like VR/AR, internet of things (IoT), artificial intelligence (AI) and smart agriculture. To know more about the company, visit: http://teks.co.in/site/.