Christopher Issac Sunder K

I was a gold medalist in the five-year integrated MSc Software Engineering program at Manonmaniam Sundaranar University. Since I had to manage all my expenses on my own, I was always careful about my studies. If I ever had an arrear, I knew I would have to spend extra money to clear it myself, which pushed me to plan my learning more effectively. 

I made full use of the college library, going through multiple books in depth and learning thoroughly. I would then share what I had learned to help my classmates, which also strengthened my own understanding. So, I would consider that gold medal as a meaningful achievement in my life. 

I began my professional journey believing that I had to handle everything on my own, working with that “solo hero” mindset. As I grew into a lead role and progressed further, I came to understand that success is truly about teamwork. The focus should always be on the product, the users and the business, rather than trying to do everything alone. Over time, I’ve learned that beyond being an individual contributor, it’s equally important to teach and guide others, build a strong team and grow together. 

One appreciation that has always stayed with me personally is the recognition I received for my very first bug fix in a currency textbox within a grid. I fixed it on just my second day after joining and my lead, Mr. Kathiresan, appreciated me by saying, “You are really a quick learner, and no one had fixed that kind of bug in such a short time before." He encouraged me to keep learning, and that moment has stayed with me ever since. 

A more recent appreciation came about two-three years ago after I moved into the growth hacking team. At that time, our Blazor Data Grid control wasn’t ranking on Google search and was getting completely omitted. We worked on it and soon moved up to the top rankings. Mr. Vijayanand then shared an appreciation on Teams through the “Achiever” recognition card, mentioning that more than 1,000 keywords were ranking in the number one position. That recognition has also stayed with me. 

A good leader should build trust, communicate clearly, encourage mutual accountability, and guide the entire team towards a common goal. Another important aspect is psychological safety. To build a strong team, people should feel comfortable approaching their leader without fear or hesitation, whether it’s to ask questions or raise concerns. It should feel safe enough for someone to openly say, “I don’t know this, please teach me,” without any hesitation. 

When this kind of environment exists, it naturally leads to innovation, stronger problem-solving and a more united team. 

About ten years ago, I visited the US office for a strategy meeting where Mr. Daniel, our CEO, shared his perspective on leadership. He explained that when there is a task to be done, a leader shouldn’t try to do everything alone but should delegate it properly. 

He emphasized that after delegating, it’s important to guide the team on how the work should be done and most importantly, to trust them to deliver. I took that advice to heart and have been following the same approach with my own team. 

It would definitely be my school life. Even today, those memories feel very different and special. At that time, there were no expectations or pressure about how life should be. There was no burden on our shoulders. All we had to do was study and play happily. That kind of light-hearted, carefree phase is something we can never truly get back later in life, and those memories remain very strong. It was also a time when we naturally learned so many new things. 

I’m truly grateful to Syncfusion especially to Mr. Daniel and Mr. Vijayanand, who interviewed me when I first joined. The interview process lasted an entire day, during which I was given different tasks to work on, all of which were handled and reviewed by Mr. Vijayanand. The final round was with both Mr. Daniel and Mr. Vijayanand together. I’m generally someone who communicates actively, but this was my very first oral interview and I had a lot of hesitation. They understood that and focused purely on my skills and decided to bring me in. It genuinely felt like they gave me a place to belong. I’m still very grateful for that.