Welcome back to another installment of our Getting to Know You series from Genzeon and CompliancePro Solutions. Accompany us “backstage” as we interview members of both organizations to discover the passionate humans behind the technology.
Our next edition is focused on Vikram Pendli, who serves as Genzeon’s chief technology officer.
Let’s get to know Vikram with some highlights from our interview.
Would you share with us an interesting tidbit about yourself?
Something that people don't know about me usually is that I hate riding roller coasters. Especially when we took our daughter to Disney, and she wanted to ride all the roller coasters—even though I accompanied her, I hated it.
What did you want to be when you grew up?
It might seem a little boring, but I think I was around 13 when the whole computer bug bit me, and ever since then, I’ve always wanted to work with computers. I'm so glad that I had the opportunity to be in this field and work here. I sometimes tell my supervisors, “Hey, even if you are not paying me any money, I would still be doing this.”
Was there someone in your past who has greatly influenced your work or personal life?
A teacher. I was in 10th grade, and he taught us mathematics. He was very different in approaching the subject. He finished the entire syllabus for the year in about six months. For the rest of the six months, he used to make us simply practice the problems—and that led to a pass rate of close to 100% in that class
For a subject like that math which everyone hated, that was amazing. And it's not just math. He also helped us learn computer programming. And more than his teaching style, it was the discipline he expected in the kids. It did seem a little harsh at that time, but looking back, he definitely shaped us. I was lucky enough to meet some of my old classmates who went to school with me and studied under him, and he actually influenced all of us, not just me.
"I love to teach what I've learned. The whole idea of continuous learning is what I wanted to build here at Genzeon."
What do you think are the most important values in a leader
Leadership is not about getting the work done; it’s more about maximizing the potential. Like everybody that you work with has great potential. And if you can make sure that they can maximize it and utilize it fully—that's what I'm looking for from a leadership perspective. Making sure that there aren’t any roadblocks in their path, making sure that you're guiding them properly, making sure that you're mentoring them properly.
What made you decide to come to Genzeon?
Venkat and I worked together for nearly 12 years at Allscripts. Venkat left to start Genzeon and asked me to come over, but I initially refused. I was very comfortable at the time, and I didn't want to venture into something unknown.
Sometime later Venkat approached me and said, “This is a great time for you to try something new.” His persistence, and vision for the company, allowed me to overcome my inertia of staying comfortably in one place.
But more than that, it was the freedom of what I could do here at Genzeon. I realized that with Venkat and Genzeon, that this was a company where we could really grow something wonderful. A company that we could not only deliver excellence in the work we do for clients, but really raise up and enrich the next generation of IT professionals.
Is there anything else about you that you'd like to share?
I love to teach what I've learned. And I always encourage my peers to come forward with new ideas, explore, talk to each other. And I always tell them the best way to learn is to teach. The whole idea of continuous learning is what I wanted to build here at Genzeon.