You know, sometimes a simple story tells you everything you need to know about a company’s culture. I recently had the chance to listen in on our Culture & Career Corner podcast, where our new host, Anamika, sat down with Akhilesh Shukla and Sage Khattri. They’re two absolutely fantastic technical leads from our service delivery team in India. It wasn’t just another podcast episode: it was a truly open and motivating discussion that reminded me exactly what a people-first culture is all about.
Two Journeys, One Purpose
Think about this: Akhilesh joined us just four years ago as a technical team lead. And it wasn’t only the work that caught his attention right away; it was the culture. He had the confidence to not just use his current abilities but also to truly expand and develop since he believed that people genuinely cared about each other’s success. He is now a Senior Technical Team Lead, which is a well-earned promotion, and he is committed to coaching our future engineers. You really love to watch that kind of adventure.
Then you have Sage. His journey spans nearly eight years. He started all the way back as an L1 engineer and has since worked across so many departments. When he talks about it, you can just hear the pride. He said his growth was all thanks to the constant support and learning opportunities he got from every single leader and teammate he worked with. Sage even called these years the “best eight years of my life,” and his path is a powerful example of how we love to promote from within.
The Culture We Actually Live
What came through so clearly in this conversation is that our culture isn’t just a nice idea we put on a wall; it’s literally how we operate every single day. Akhilesh put it perfectly when he described our culture as “deeply people-centric and growth-focused.” He really values the transparency of our leadership, how they’ll “listen and they challenge you, but they always support you as well.” It’s that balance that creates a high-performance environment without ever, ever losing the human touch.
Anamika asked Sage to sum up our culture in one word after eight years, and his answer was simple and beautiful: “community.” For him, ITBD feels like a big family where everyone has each other’s backs: in the good times and the bad.
Life Lessons That Define Leaders
As the conversation wrapped up, Akhilesh and Sage shared some of the biggest life lessons that have shaped them. Akhilesh gave two pieces of advice that I think everyone should hear. First, your attitude is going to take you further than your skillset. Second, and this is a great one: “Never wait for permission to grow.” He believes you should just take on new responsibilities and opportunities without hesitation.
Sage’s key takeaway was about the power of teamwork. He really believes that while an individual can do well, a great team can achieve so much more. He said this applies to both work and family: that if you support each other, you can achieve incredible things together.
Looking Ahead to What’s Next
Both Akhilesh and Sage are already focused on what’s to come. Akhilesh is working to get his team to think like “problem owners” instead of just “fixers.” He’s encouraging them to connect their work to the client’s actual business impact and to be “comfortable being uncomfortable,” because that’s where the real growth happens.
Sage, meanwhile, is all-in on AI. He’s not just learning about it himself, but challenging his whole team to figure out how this technology can make their lives easier and add more value for our clients. That focus on constant learning and adaptability is exactly what we need.
The ITBD Difference
Listening to Akhilesh and Sage, I was reminded of what truly drives our company. It’s not our strategies or our systems, you know, it’s the people who show up every single day with a purpose. Our principles are embodied in the lives of leaders like them. They are dedicated to something greater than themselves, modest, and growth-oriented.
Their stories just show us that when you create a safe space for people to grow, you listen to them, you lead with authenticity, and you embed your values into daily operations. Well, culture doesn’t have to be taught. It just happens.
We’re so proud to have Akhilesh and Sage on this journey and even prouder of the culture we’re all building together.
