Shivkumar Gopalan of Unit4: 5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Became a C-Suite Executive

Look at the bigger picture every time — Small decisions can have a ripple effect, so sit back for a moment and think if signing this document may have a wider impact

As part of our series called “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Began Leading My Company” I had the pleasure of interviewing Shivkumar Gopalan, CIO of Unit4.

CIO of Unit4, Shivkumar Gopalan is a senior professional with core skills in digital transformation, bringing a balance of technical knowledge and human skills to the environment he works in. With a deep experience in interacting with business stakeholders, he enjoys driving outcomes, not just programs.

Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series. Before we dive into our discussion, our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you share with us the backstory about what brought you to your specific career path?

My backstory is all about varied experiences. Absorbing different cultures, places, companies, challenges and solutions is what makes one capable, as well as humble. I strongly believe that career growth is not a vertical path, but a series of horizontal paths, some of which will lead to vertical growth. Starting as an IT Service Delivery professional, I have worked as a management consultant for several years, and this detour provided me with the depth of character and different perspectives to understand customers and stakeholders better.

Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you started your career?

The most interesting thing I find about my career is that we live in a small world. You come across the same people, sometimes they are your customers, sometimes you are theirs, they report to you and then they may be your boss or peer. I find it is extremely important to nurture these relationships and help the people in your network at their times of need. It is wonderful to then see how, if, and when you need something, people rally around you.

Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Do you have a story about how that was relevant in your life?

Live in the ‘present’ every moment. It is amazing how much time we waste thinking about the past and worrying about the future. If only we could live in the present fully, it would give us joy and a deep sense of fulfillment. This applies very much to work as well — one has to plan for the future and learn from the past but dwelling unnecessarily instead of actioning in the present is a common mistake most of us make.

Is there a particular book that made a significant impact on your leadership style? Can you share a story or an example of that?

I am a big fan of ‘Power of Now’ by Eckart Tolle. It talks about living your life in the moment, and it has helped me immensely in my working environment. As you move into an executive position, the complexity and impact of issues increases, and it serves us best if we keep a distance, not take every issue personally, treat each issue objectively and deal with it.

What do you think makes your company stand out? Can you share a story?

Unit4 is ‘in business for people’ i.e. we develop software products in the ERP space and drive productivity of companies. What I really like about Unit4 is our focus on nonprofit companies and the value we try to add to make those organizations more efficient. I genuinely love our products and am proud of them.

The road to success is hard and requires tremendous dedication. This question is obviously a big one, but what advice would you give to a young person who aspires to follow in your footsteps and emulate your success?

All I will say to young people is to be themselves and play to their strengths. Take every set back as a learning opportunity and prove the naysayers wrong.

Often leaders are asked to share the best advice they received. But let’s reverse the question. Can you share a story about advice you’ve received that you now wish you never followed?

Interesting question! When I was younger, I used to take all the feedback handed to me and try to ‘improve’ myself. At some point I felt that a better strategy would be to play to ones’ strengths instead. The feedback given to you is only as true as the ability/competence of the person giving it to you, so take it with a grain of salt!

You are a successful business leader. Which three character traits do you think were most instrumental to your success? Can you please share a story or example for each?

Try to really understand the issue at hand — many leaders act on the ‘manifestation’ of issues rather than the root cause causing dissatisfaction for themselves as well as to their companies.

Don’t judge as it takes energy away from what is important and does not serve any purpose.

Think mindfully — not an easy one! I try to avoid obsessive thinking about an issue or a situation and do it on my own terms. If there is a difficult situation with people/customers/money involved, it is important to separate the thought process and think mindfully.

Ok, thank you for that. Let’s now jump to the primary focus of our interview. Most of our readers — in fact, most people — think they have a pretty good idea of what a C-Suite executive does. But in just a few words can you explain what a C-Level executive does that is different from the responsibilities of other leaders?

A C-Suite leader has to be able to think across multiple dimensions. Most of the ideas and challenges are multi-dimensional and could be related to people, customers, product, budget or timelines. It is necessary to have the ability to come up with solutions and communicate them in an impactful way that delivers results. And then do it all over again.

What are the “myths” that you would like to dispel about being a CEO or executive? Can you explain what you mean?

Many people aspire to be leaders in C-Suite positions, but to me it is a role in as special as a programmer or an accountant. I have seen all kinds of people in these positions, so the one myth I would like to dispel is there is no ‘mantra’ to get there.

What are the most common leadership mistakes you have seen C-Suite leaders make when they start leading a new team? What can be done to avoid those errors?

A new leader is under pressure to show ‘impact’ after the honeymoon period, when he/she joins a new company. Typically, the mistake is when the leader carries over their previous experience to the new job without understanding the variables at play. Then they make a decision which may be wrong and even if they later realize the mistake, it may be difficult to back track from it.

In your experience, which aspect of running a company tends to be most underestimated? Can you explain or give an example?

I don’t think there is just one thing, but the interplay of different areas which is underestimated. To explain better, a new CEO gets the best marketing and sales leader in place but fails to get them to work together, leading to silos. How often do we see that!

Ok super. Here is the main question of our interview. What are your “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Began Leading From the C-Suite”? Please share a story or an example for each.

• Be pleasant — Make an effort, then it soon becomes natural
• Be present — I want to repeat it one more time as I think it is important
• Live every moment in the ‘now’ — Don’t let your ego get in the way
• Don’t let your anger take over — Sometimes those in authority can act out on their frustrations because of their power
• Look at the bigger picture every time — Small decisions can have a ripple effect, so sit back for a moment and think if signing this document may have a wider impact.
• Genuinely care about people — I have seen leaders do lip service to caring about people but very soon employees can see through it if they are being genuine or not.

In your opinion, what are a few ways that executives can help to create a fantastic work culture? Can you share a story or an example?

Haven’t you always said in your younger years — if only I was in a position of influence, I would do thing this way or that …. guess what, you are there now. Be the leader you always want to be and don’t hold back. You will make mistakes along the way, be humble and accept them, learn from them and move on. You will see that the people genuinely follow your cue and create a positive work culture.

You are a person of great influence. If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. :-)

A great work culture and enjoyable working relationships. With the amount of time we spend working, it is a pity to see toxic work relationships as it impacts their personal lives as well. I believe people should be genuinely nice to each other at work. This does not mean we cannot have difficult conversations, but these can be clearly demarcated as issue based detailed with examples.

How can our readers further follow you online?

linkedin.com/in/shivkumargopalan

Thank you for the time you spent sharing these fantastic insights. We wish you only continued success in your great work!