Name: Naveen Nimmu

Title: CEO

Organisation: Cuber Inc

A dynamic visionary and change agent, Naveen Nimmu has a proven track record of exceptional performance with both startups and well-established organizations. An expert in driving strategy, they are also adept at building and motivating top-tier teams to achieve strategic goals. He is currently the CEO of a hyper-automation startup cuber.ai

Before that As the founder and CEO of Clouber Inc he played a pivotal role in its development from inception. Key responsibilities included raising capital, assembling a team, and developing the initial product. They forged partnerships with major cloud vendors and successfully negotiated the sale of the company's intellectual property.

In his tenure as product line director at Broadcom, he led the strategy and global marketing of a software product line. He successfully released multiple software versions targeting various segments such as SMB, Enterprise, and data centers, generating an impressive $80M/year in revenue while maintaining high quality and serviceability standards.

Earlier, as an Architect at Sanera, he was responsible for the entire software architecture of a multi-protocol SAN switch product. Reporting directly to the President, he built the software from the ground up and managed vendor relationships, establishing robust software development and test processes.

Beginning his career as a Software Engineer at Cisco in San Jose, he was a key member of the core software team and instrumental in implementing the market's first layer 3 Ethernet switch. This innovation created a new revenue stream for Cisco Systems.

Naveen Nimmu completed an Executive MBA from the Indian School of Business/Wharton and earned a Master's in Computer Science from the Indian Institute of Technology. Known for being a risk-taker, they possess expertise in general management (CEO), engineering, marketing, cloud technology, automation, and artificial intelligence.

Thank you to the 2,000 leaders who’ve generously done the 7 Questions on Leadership!

I hope Naveen's answers will encourage you in your leadership journey. Enjoy!

Cheers,

Jonno White

1. What have you found most challenging as a leader?

Adapting to Change: The rapid pace of technological advancement and changing market conditions can make adaptability a critical challenge. Leaders must stay ahead of trends and be ready to pivot strategies as necessary.

2. How did you become a leader? Can you please briefly tell the story?

Leaders often distinguish themselves by taking initiative. This means not just doing what is asked of them, but going beyond to identify and solve problems or create new opportunities. I was able to imagine and manifest a future, set goals and have a vision for where I want to lead the team or organization. This vision helps in guiding decisions and motivating others.

3. How do you structure your work days from waking up to going to sleep?

I start my day early with some exercise, which energizes me, followed by a healthy breakfast. My mornings are dedicated to tackling the most challenging tasks, as my concentration is at its peak then. I take regular short breaks to stay productive. In the afternoons, I focus on meetings, collaborative work, and less intensive tasks. Evenings are my time to wind down with relaxing activities like reading or pursuing a hobby. Before sleeping, I briefly plan for the next day. Ensuring adequate sleep is crucial for me to rejuvenate for the day ahead. This balanced routine helps me maintain productivity, focus, and overall well-being.

I start my day early with some exercise, which energizes me, followed by a healthy breakfast. My mornings are dedicated to tackling the most challenging tasks, as my concentration is at its peak then. I take regular short breaks to stay productive. In the afternoons, I focus on meetings, collaborative work, and less intensive tasks. Evenings are my time to wind down with relaxing activities like reading or pursuing a hobby. Before sleeping, I briefly plan for the next day. Ensuring adequate sleep is crucial for me to rejuvenate for the day ahead. This balanced routine helps me maintain productivity, focus, and overall well-being.

I start my day early with some exercise, which energizes me, followed by a healthy breakfast. My mornings are dedicated to tackling the most challenging tasks, as my concentration is at its peak then. I try to keep the lunch time productive by planning lunch meetings someone or other . In the afternoons, I focus on meetings, collaborative work, and less intensive tasks. Evenings are my time to wind down with relaxing activities and spend time with family.

Having to deal with teams in different geographies I usually take 1 or 2 meetings in the night. Before sleeping, I briefly plan for the next day. Ensuring adequate sleep is crucial for me to rejuvenate for the day ahead. This balanced routine helps me maintain productivity, focus, and overall well-being.

4. What's a recent leadership lesson you've learned for the first time or been reminded of?

Leadership is about people. Invest time in building relationships with your customers, understanding their motivations needs and organization dynamics. Recently this was a lesson with one customer. We had a very good relationship with all the stakeholders in one of the customers or so we thought. Suddenly there was a shakeup in the executive management and we ended up loosing the account as we did not move quick to build the relationship with new stake holders.

5. What's one book that has had a profound impact on your leadership so

far? Can you please briefly tell the story of how that book impacted your leadership?

"Zero to One: Notes on Startups, or How to Build the Future" by Peter Thiel, with Blake Masters, is a thought-provoking book that delves into the world of startups and innovation. He suggests that every successful business is built around a unique secret or truth that others have overlooked.

"Zero to One" is a blend of practical advice and philosophical insights on entrepreneurship, innovation, and competition. It encourages readers to think critically about what it means to create value and how to build something truly innovative in an age of widespread conformity. It is this book that helped me to focus on creating value out of nothing and dominate a small market and then scaling up to larger markets.

6. If you could only give one piece of advice to a young leader, what would you say to them?

Develop Emotional Intelligence: Understanding and managing your own emotions, as well as empathizing with others, is crucial. Emotional intelligence helps in building strong relationships, resolving conflicts, and making thoughtful decisions.

7. What is one meaningful story that comes to mind from your time as a leader, so far? In one of my leadership roles I found myself spearheading the ambitious task of building a software team from scratch, with the goal of developing a world-class product.

My objective was clear: to assemble a global team of top-tier software developers, establish comprehensive end-to-end development processes, and organize the team for optimal collaboration and innovation, all within a tight timeframe.

The challenge was immense, requiring an unwavering dedication to excellence and an ongoing pursuit of innovative solutions. I recognized that creating a cohesive, global software development team was essential for enhancing efficiency, leveraging synergies, and tapping into the diverse potential of talents from various regions.

As I set out to turn this vision into a tangible reality, I understood that the success of this endeavor hinged not just on the ambitiousness of the idea but on the precision and effectiveness of its execution.

This journey was highly collaborative, involving engagement with stakeholders at all levels, from executive management to the core developers. We developed a shared vision, aligning our individual and collective goals towards a singular mission.

The most crucial insight from this experience was the importance of assembling an exceptional team and placing trust in its leaders.

Together, we demonstrated that with a clear vision, resilience, and collaborative effort, we could not only build a groundbreaking software product but also redefine the boundaries of what is possible in software development.