Disruption Insights: Tie Innovative Ideas to the Company’s Strategic Goals

Currently, Vipendra works as Commerce API Platform Lead, creating transformative and innovative digital solutions with a focus on advocating consumer-centric data visibility, integrations, and data consumption across IT systems. He successfully merges data and technology landscapes to deliver outcomes that generate value to both the company and its customers. See what you can learn from him.

In the Disruption Insights series, we discover inspirations and insights from global innovators who shape how we live and do things today. True innovation doesn’t happen as an overnight breakthrough — it’s an ongoing process of constant trial and error done by teams and organizations who strive to solve real human problems. Vipendra is one of the people who push those ideas forward, making things possible.

💼 Corporate innovation

How do you choose one idea out of one hundred?

I always look for its relevance to our business and the impact it has now. I also focus on how our customers and business would benefit from a given idea in the long term.

How do you convince decision-makers to back innovative ideas?

The trust in innovative ideas comes when you tie them to the company’s strategic goals, prove you can execute them, and bring measurable insights.

You can find innovation in everything you do.

You just need to define a plan with a focus on how to execute it. During this journey, getting customer feedback is essential to put you on the right track while never losing the focus of your foundation principles and, of course, tactical and strategic goals.

One thing you’d change about your work

More space to follow my curiosity yet in a balanced way. It's easy to lose focus when there are a lot of exciting things happening around you, e.g. new products or a new technology that enables these products to be used. Not trying to catch every wave is the biggest thing which allows me to stay focused and prepared.

💪 Innovation mindset

One personality trait that helps you at your daily job

An ability to prioritize.

What drives you at work?

Being able to positively impact our customers and people around us drives me at work.

Your dream profession when you were 20

In my 20s, I wanted to be a researcher, which took me to Cambridge where I studied Bioinformatics. Then, I decided to pursue my childhood dream to be a software engineer. I still have that curious mindset from my 20s. :)

The biggest milestone in your career path

I am on my way to having a positive impact on the people around me both in business and technology.

The biggest accomplishment in your career path

I think the biggest is yet to come. It's a long road, and I still need to develop my craft.

💡 Inspiration corner

Biggest source of daily inspiration

The purpose of our business and the impact on our customers’ lives.

Books that inspire you

I read anything and everything. I particularly like one book on leadership: “Leaders Eat Last” by Simon Sinek.

Blogs and magazines you follow

• Technology blogs
• Blogs on fashion and retail
• Transformation and disruptive talks

Movies that inspire you

• “Burnt” – it’s a 2015 American drama movie directed by John Wells and written by Steven Knight, from a story by Michael Kalesniko. This movie is inspirational and, for me, its message goes as follows: “Even the best at craft need a team they could rely on to achieve the very best ambition.”
• “Cast Away” – though its main message is a bit contrasting: “You can be alone and lost at times, but you need to continue working on the craft, develop it, and then be ready to catch the wave” – just like Tom Hanks eventually did.

Want to be a part of the Disruption Insights series? Shoot me an email at paulina.burzawa@netguru.com

Discover insights from other inspiring innovation leaders:

"Make Users the Final Judges of Your Ideawith Dr. Sabine Häussermann from VisionHealth

Pursue the Most Exciting and Impactful Ideas with Steve Suarez from HSBC

Ideas and Implementation Go Hand in Hand with Mayank Chauhan from H&M