Kate Gurba: A Multidimensional Leader Successfully Managing The Challenges

 

The current pandemic has again raised debates on gender roles and leadership responsibilities. Some are suggesting that work from home—especially for women professionals— has somehow increased the work hours. However, women professionals have always been excellent examples of multi-tasking. Drawing inspiration from the same, Kate Gurba (Executive Vice President and COO at CHI Software) shared her take on the debate.

“Women have always managed an overwhelming amount of invisible labor — combining a professional career while running a household, bringing up children, caring for partners, elderly parents, friends, or maintaining their families’ stability. I never cease to be astonished by their heroics.”

Kate Gurba has been a part of CHI Software for more than 5 years and throughout this time she has been progressively promoted from head of the department to COO. She is a graduate from National Aerospace University, Faculty of Rocket Science and had first-hand project management experience of working in a construction company. In the construction, sphere work is driven by strict standards, tight deadlines, and enormous responsibility, especially for people’s lives. The experience there taught her to always have a futuristic approach and calculate possible risks as people’s lives depended on her work and management level. After acquiring her Master’s in Project and Program Management, she fully committed to working with people, developing and executing companies’ strategies and marketing plans, including business analysis, and the implementation of new ideas and tools.

As a senior executive at CHI Software, Kate aims to swiftly establish the architecture for decision-making within the company so that accountability is transparent and decisions are made by appropriate people at different levels.

Result-Oriented Software Solutions

CHI Software was established with a mission to craft software solutions for startups and well-established companies that need a technologically innovative partner. By leveraging cutting-edge tech, on-time delivery, and robust engineering culture, CHI Software has been successful in delivering result-oriented software solutions. Constantly adding new areas of expertise, the team of CHI has proven competence and practical experience to cover the end-to-end development process for various platforms and provided noteworthy software solutions for every size business. “We love leveraging the latest innovations to make big impacts on the business environment, especially in the fintech, insurtech, and banking industries,” states Kate.

CHI Software caters these sophisticated software solutions to various industries including but not limited to,

• AI & ML
• IoT, Smart Solutions and Smart City
• E-learning
• Retail (e-commerce shops, online payments systems)
• Cyber/Information Security (security software for different types of businesses)
• Automotive (developing supporting apps for well-known car brands)
• Cloud computing and consulting services
• Healthcare

The times of COVID-19 has adversely impacted several industries. However, CHI Software is assisting businesses and community leaders globally to reopen safely, re-skill employees, and respond efficiently towards the pandemic. To date, CHI Software has been successful in delivering 650+ projects, making it a trusted product development and design partner for companies all around the world. Kate proudly states that all this has been possible because of the exceptional team of CHI Software.

The Exceptional Team members

In the times of COVID-19, every company shifted from the traditional working routine to remote working. Every company has faced issues while adapting to remote working, however, CHI Software was efficacious in adapting to the change. CHI Software designed and implemented transparent remote work processes and models for overall team effectiveness a long time before the pandemic, as many of its employees already worked from remote locations. Apart from this, the employees always had the preference to opt for work from home, even before the pandemic. This approach helped the team to develop a specialized approach dedicated to conducting internal and external negotiations and communications. Kate further adds, “A successful remote worker must be a full-fledged team player, motivated to maintain strong business relationships.”

The implementation of all these practices, high-quality instruments, and agile methodologies to manage the projects all around the world has helped the members of CHI Software to work efficiently and stay productive in the quarantine period. Apart from this, due to the uncertainty and changes surrounding us anxiety is bound to take effect. Kate advises that the key to overcoming anxiety is support. As a leader, she always ensures that every member of the team is heard and every effort is paid without delay, not leading anyone into anxiety and uncertainty operationally and emotionally.

CHI Software pays special attention to the EQ of its managers. Emotional intelligence is as vital as primary skills. Furthermore, Kate believes that leaders must have a solid understanding of how their emotions and actions affect people around them. The better a leader relates to and works with others, the more successful he or she will be.

Crisis Is Not an Excuse

“Every crisis is a time for opportunities. It is a time when leaders appear,” said Kate. Briefing in response to women’s leadership, Kate believes that women leaders have an ascendency. Women have the power to store different information in their heads and are efficient at multitasking. Over the years, women leaders have been adaptive, stable, and psychologically and physiologically flexible. Due to the empathetic nature, it is easy for women to co-operate and soften the edges when needed. “I believe that women leaders possess a deep understanding of their staff’s challenges inside and outside the office. This leads them to be effective managers,” said Kate. As a leader, a woman brings a different approach to problem-solving by considering various factors and develops solutions that address the complexities they face.

Regardless of gender, in any organization’s routine, the most valuable quality that leaders bring is experience. Kate further acclaims that a leader must be aware of his/her area of expertise and must include qualified people wherever necessary. One person cannot know everything, thus a leader must be modest enough to listen to others and decide what’s best for the organization because ultimately the leader is the responsible person. Besides, as the responsible leader, s/he must search for all the information they can get before landing on the conclusion. She affirms that any crisis is no excuse for not taking care of the business appropriately. The leader must be aware of the ongoing issues and have a futuristic approach to lead.

“It’s that three-dimensional chess game you’re playing. So you have to be super thoughtful while making quick decisions. And to do that, you have to gather as much information as you can. That is all about asking for help. You can’t do that all alone,” asserts Kate.

World Always Needs Proactive Leaders

The pandemic has taken the organizations by surprise, causing havoc and imbalance to the routine and set plans. In times like this, the leader needs to project confidence in the organization and find a way through the tough situation. Kate suggests the leaders be optimistic and confront the uncertainty. The team must know that the leader is aware of the unprecedented situation and is continuously striving to fill in the information gap required to tackle the challenge. The key is to be self-aware. The more self-awareness one gain, the better ways will s/he discover to work smarter, not harder. She further adds, “This quarantine time has only proved that if you don’t do anything, you definitely won’t fail.”

Even after the pandemic settles down, the world will always need smart, honest, and proactive leaders, both women and men.

Work Realities in COVID-19

Presently, the borders between work and home life have been highly blurred. As a result, the work hours have stretched from 9-5 to all-time when one is awake. This has in turn caused more complications in the remote working scenario. On the other hand, there are few for whom this virus outbreak has worked as the priority reset. Rather than being distracted by parallel tasks, people have learned to focus on important things that matter and influence the fundamental goals.

The long stretched issue of the work-life balance has troubled every individual. However, Kate has learned to combine business, work, and family. Spending quality family time is one of her rules. She advises to not compromise with it. Furthermore, Kate recommends avoiding doing everything at the same time. She adds, “Nobody can get absolutely everything done.” It is important to learn to say no and set the priorities straight. “Rethinking these boundaries and developing a new paradigm of ‘work-life-balance’ allowed me to regain my power and help me to rediscover my sense of purpose,” concludes Kate.

In response to remote working, she recommends that any forward-thinking organization should implement long-term, flexible work programs, allowing parents, especially women, to work schedules that accommodate both their personal and professional demands.

The Success Mantras by Kate

Being a successful leader, Kate has earned her personal experiences and insights from the journey. She says, “I have learned that there is no place for ‘I don’t feel like I’m ready’ thoughts in my life. I always check if I have the necessary things and don’t let the opportunity pass by.” Consequently, she has some handful of advice for aspiring leaders.

1. Take Risks

Kate believes that taking risks is important but what is more vital is to understand, learn, and practice—how and when to take risks. According to her, people who tend to take risks grow immensely, as compared to the ones’ who like to play it safe.

2. Do Not Wait for Better Times

She suggests that waiting for the appropriate opportunity will bring nothing. One should learn to use and appreciate what s/he has now because there are no things like a better day, time, or age.

3. Energy Matters

Regardless of energy being positive or negative, the energy one brings greatly influences everyone around us. Positive energy often comes from being nice and giving helpful feedback in a manner that builds people up. Kate further asserts that this kind of positive energy fuels the team to succeed.