Every company, irrespective of its sector or industrial background, has incorporated various technological mediums to boost business, connect with vendors, and many more. With the regular incorporation of technology in everyday life, the software development industry has flourished over time and has grown rapidly amongst all the existing sectors and industries. The software development industry offers various solutions such as improving the client’s experiences, procuring innovative and enhanced products through the market, and many more. It is essential for businesses as it helps them distinguish from competitors and become more competitive.
Owing to increasing demand, the industry is simultaneously lacking tech leaders who can retain its talent and grow its business. As a flourishing industry, it needs enterprising leaders who can consistently garner its proliferative aspects. Catering to the evolving demands with years of experience, Nicole Craine (CEO and President of Techtonic) has been fostering immense values in the software development industry. With her profuse experience, Nicole has been nurturing the company’s values and pivoting them immensely towards growth.
In recent years, the software development industry has eventuated various innovative trends—such as cybersecurity, AI leveraging, IoT, and many more—in the business and industrial sector. These trends can be used to proliferate business and accelerate the growth of companies. Cultivating her zestful experience, Nicole has been leveraging the latest trends in the software development industry.
Vast Array of Services
Techtonic was established in 2006 as an on-shore, outsource development shop serving the Denver, Boulder communities. In 2016, the company established its Apprenticeship Program to train new developers to meet the growing demands of the market. The company’s program was one of the first to be registered under the Department of Labor and includes 2000 hours of classroom and on-the-job learning to ensure the highest degree of success for its candidates.
Techtonic provides various solutions to its clients that are inclusive of talent guarantees, flexible engagement models, and talent training in the latest languages along with development practices. The company continues to provide evolving solutions to companies with highly trained tech talent which are diverse in nature. It envisions an expansion in different verticals of skills such as cybersecurity, no code or low code, and much more.
Dynamic Leadership
Leadership plays a vital role in both the success and growth of the company. With evolving trends and customer demands in the industrial scenario, leaders must be agile and guide the companies with dynamic leadership. Dynamic leadership ensures consistency and productivity and helps in the better achievement of the company’s organizational goals. For successful implementation and maintenance of an agile workplace that attracts the latest workforce, company leadership needs to develop skills that will promote growth, collaboration from all levels and not just atop-down approach, and encourage self-awareness and individual initiative.
Recognizing the importance of dynamic leadership, Nicole regularly switches between various roles to nurture the values of Techtonic. She believes in maintaining interactions with all departments and levels within the organization in order to drive overall success and financial results. Nicole has immensely contributed and propelled the company towards success during her entire tenure at the company. Simultaneously, she has also ensured the success of the employees by coaching them to pursue higher positions and lead high-performing teams of their own.
Overcoming Challenging Times
Prior to the pandemic, the software development industry was a critical component of corporate economic and financial growth. After the pandemic, numerous companies witnessed an increasing shortage of supply which led to difficulty in compensation for small as well as mid-sized companies. The pandemic affected the flow of work in the industry as people were compelled to opt for remote working. Several projects were also put to a halt which resulted in losses in businesses.
During such challenging times, leaders needed to adopt empathetic approaches as well flexible schedules to manage the situation. . It also resulted in proportionately more women dropping out of the workforce. Ensuring the stability of business along with the mutual safety of clients and employees were the important factors to manage the crisis.
According to Nicole, staying engaged and connected remotely posed the biggest hurdle to her. Transcending all the hurdles, she propelled the company towards growth. Under Nicole’s leadership and guidance, the company achieved a boost from 32% to 80% in utilization within 5 months. The company also managed to generate revenue during the pandemic by driving revenue growth of over 40% and decreasing employee churn to under 3%.
Motivation for budding entrepreneurs
The software development industry has witnessed an increase in the number of entrepreneurs who have been joining the industry in large numbers. It is important to be aware of the various segments of the industry and seek guidance from established and agile leaders as the evolving course continues to determine the progress achieved on an individual as well as organizational level.
As an extraordinary leader, Nicole recommends being gritty and humble. Emphasizing expert assistance, she quotes, “There are many of us that are willing to assist new entrepreneurs as they embark on this journey. Don’t be afraid to reach out.” Enunciating on the phrase “going with the flow,” Nicole suggests staying with the course while pivoting during times of need. She suggests referring to books such as Humble Inquiry. Nicole believes that the journey of entrepreneurship is very welcoming, regardless of how daunting it might seem initially.
Keynote to aspirants:
