On Sept. 4, the finalists for this year’s Greater Washington Government Contractor Awards were announced, and WashingtonExec is bringing you its annual series with the nominees.
The winners will be unveiled on Nov. 13 at The Ritz Carlton in Tysons Corner by the Fairfax County Chamber of Commerce and the Professional Services Council. With more than 1,000 business and public sector leaders attending the event, our series will keep you up-to-date about all the finalists for this year — who they are, what they do and why they are worthy of winning.
Our next interview is with Ace Info Solutions Inc. CEO and Chairman Jay Challa. He is nominated for “Executive of the Year” in the $75 million to $300 million category.
WashingtonExec: What would you say are the top one or two leadership qualities necessary to be a great leader?
Jay Challa: One leadership quality is the ability to take risk and not be afraid of failures. Without taking risks, I wouldn’t have succeeded in building the company. When I started the company, there was lot of discouragement from many giving negative feedback saying it won’t be a successful business venture. There were times I wasn’t successful, but taking risks and investing time, efforts and resources helped me towards the growth of a successful company Ace Info Solutions. Honesty, integrity and trust are my back bone and they played a significant role in my success.
Another leadership quality is showing respect and trust for your employees and being present for them. As the leader, you must demonstrate that you value the contributions of your followers. You have to show them, with everything that you do, that you respect their contributions. In the business world, money is certainly an important component of that demonstration, but it’s much more than that. You have to provide a work environment that is psychically rewarding. You have to pass out praise and credit for their contributions liberally, occasionally even when you’re not sure it’s really warranted.
Finally, the leader has to “be there.” Your leadership skills have to create an environment where people want to come to work every day, and where they feel that there is a possibility that they will have the opportunity, that day, to do something significant. Leaders must demonstrate continuing personal contact with those they lead, every day. A manager can spend his days sitting in an office; a leader has to be where those being led are.
After I started AceInfo, I won my first contract by giving a potential customer two weeks of free consulting service, which I paid for out of my own pocket. Based on their positive response and repeat business, I understood that the ability to have a positive impact on the world was a part of that dream that I could make real.
WashingtonExec: If we were to speak directly to your leadership team, what would they say is your management style?
Jay Challa: They would say, “Jay expects excellence, quality and time. He’s not a shouter or a ranter, but he communicates his vision distinctly and delegates them. Based on those expectations, we do better than we think is possible.”
WashingtonExec: How would your team describe your leadership qualities?
Jay Challa: They would say that I am a “hands-on” and a dedicated leader and mentor who works as hard, or sometimes even harder, than the team does and pays attention to even small details. They also say I am a very good listener for all inputs from bottom to top. They know I expect a very high standard of performance, quality work and time essence, but never more than I expect of myself.
WashingtonExec: What was a turning point or inflection point in your career?
Jay Challa: When I came to the United States from India in 1985, I had a dream. Hard work, setting goals and making them happen are in my system. With this envision, I wanted to start a company with strong team that would provide an exceptional place to work and make a positive contribution to my adopted country, the United States. Today, with more than 500 hard working employees, I’m living that dream by giving my employees a better place to work and making my adopted country and the world a safer and healthier place to live.
After I started AceInfo, I won my first contract by giving a potential customer two weeks of free consulting service, which I paid for out of my own pocket. Based on their positive response and repeat business, I understood that the ability to have a positive impact on the world was a part of that dream that I could make real. I could also build an environment where I could help others to grow careers, raise families and be successful along beside me. AceInfo recently passed the 500-employee mark. It was a very positive turning point.
WashingtonExec: What is the No. 1 book that you gift to individuals?
Jay Challa: There are so many great choices, but one that I particularly like is The Driving Force-Extraordinary Results with Ordinary People by Peter Schutz, former CEO of Porsche AG. Schutz writes about a choice he had to make between two alternative courses of action — keep all of the products, facilities and tooling in which Porsche has ever invested, but replace all of the people, or keep all the people, but replace all of the tooling, products and facilities. Could the answer be in doubt? Keep all the people!
Another book I like is Forest Gump. Great example of how through hard and positive thinking work he overcame obstacles.
WashingtonExec: What advice do you have for aspiring leaders in the government contracting industry?
Jay Challa: As far as I’ve been able to determine, there are no great schools that teach government contracting. Never stop learning and revamp the changes as needed. If you want to be a great government contractor, you’ve got to acquire that skill, and you do that in two ways: 1) Do, work and teach yourself with high ethical standards, and 2) Find great people who are willing to do, learn and teach themselves beside you.
WashingtonExec: What was your first job?
Jay Challa: I began my professional career as an engineer on military family housing projects in Germany and Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Later, as an environmental engineer, I designed solid waste management projects, literally moving mountains and rerouting huge rivers. In the process, my team re-routed flowing waterways to preserve existing ecosystems and protect fragile habitats of their aquatic life. However, I was interested in combining this engineering skills with the growing and exciting field of information technology.
WashingtonExec: Overall, how did that experience shape your career?
Jay Challa: My experience as an engineer and being in a leadership role in protecting the environment shaped my career in IT. In 2000, I formed AceInfo as an IT company that would support other scientists and engineers who worked to protect our environment. Starting with the Environmental Protection Agency as our first government client, today we are now serving nearly the entire federal government, civilian and defense. AceInfo is contributing to our country’s well-being through contract awards that impact the health and safety of our citizens; significant new contracts include assisting the U.S. Census Bureau run its data center and infrastructure and providing application development for the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture to ensure the safety of the international food supply.
WashingtonExec: What three pieces of advice would you give your kids?
Jay Challa:
- Success is based on hard work as much as talent.
- Inspire others to achieve their best by respecting their contributions and leading them to excellence. Set core values of being truthful, honesty & integrity.
- Set a good example by giving back to the community through volunteering and charity work.
