Leadership with a Smile: Insights from Abhijit Deshpande, Operations Manager at AXA Global Business Services
Abhijit Deshpande, the seasoned
Operations Manager at AXA Global Business Services, is a true epitome of leadership
and professionalism. With a remarkable career spanning over 19 years, Abhijit
has not only excelled in his field but has also left an indelible mark on his
colleagues and the organization.
Starting his journey with AXA Business Services in January 2006 as an Analyst, Abhijit has risen through the ranks, showcasing his expertise in equities, vendor management, and derivatives. Abhijit holds a Bachelors degree in Commerce from the SRT Marathwada University and an MBA from the University of Pune.
Abhijit's tenure at AXA is not just
defined by his professional accomplishments but also by his commendable
personal qualities. Known for being friendly, level-headed, and supportive,
Abhijit exemplifies the qualities of a true leader. His approachable demeanour
and unwavering support have made him a beloved figure among his peers, while
his strategic mindset and managerial acumen have driven his team towards
continuous success.
In this exclusive email interview, Dr Anand Wadadekar delves into Abhijit's illustrious career, his thoughts on leadership, and his
advice for aspiring professionals. Join him as he uncovers the journey of a
manager who leads with both heart and mind.
1. Can you
tell us a little about your background and how your education at school,
college has shaped your career? Can you tell about something which you did in
school which is even today helping you as a person and a professional?
Since my
father worked with a State Electricity (public sector) company, every 4-5 years
his transfers took me to various parts of Maharashtra. And somewhere I feel this
instilled a sense of resilience in me while growing up as I did my schooling
& collage education in different cultures & climates.
While studies
were always important, I was also encouraged to participate in all sorts of
competitions & extra-curricular activities regardless of the fact if I’d
excel in one particular field. Trying & testing various skills was
something that made me curious by nature. This curiosity has transpired into 3
traits I have found important in my life – ability to question the norm,
ability to think differently, ability to listen.
Academically
though I was doing fairly well in most of the subjects, my favourites were
Maths & Languages. Maths built my logical & rational thinking and
languages gave me confidence – particularly when I was stepping into my
professional career, it helped me a lot to be able to express my thoughts with
rationale & make an identity
2. What motivated you to join AXA Business Services, and since apparently that his been your first job and still continuing, stay there consistently when others might have changed their jobs?
I visited
AXA’s office in April 2005 as a Leader of Placement Committee of my MBA collage
with a proposal to have an in-campus hiring. Since AXA was not doing any campus
hiring at the time I was suggested to coordinate walk-ins and I ended up going
through 3 rounds of selection on my first day of the visit to AXA, which
frankly I wasn’t prepared for. Little did I know that in around 7-8 months I’ll
not only be joining the same company but also spending nearly 2 decades defining
my career.
AXA is known
for its culture and the kind of work life balance it offers, which indeed is a
great motivation for long career, but for me the combination of 2 mutually
complimenting factors - my willingness to put efforts and the opportunities
that got offered – have been the most critical that kept me going. Ofcourse in
all these years there have been many phases of tough times pushing me to the
brink, but my resilience, self-belief and self-motivating nature has always
sailed me through such times and continue.
3. What do you believe are the key qualities that make an effective Operations Manager, and how do you embody these qualities in your role?
Being a good
listener is the most important trait at any level of one’s professional career.
All the more critical as one starts growing & moving up the ladder with
bigger responsibilities. By not listening to others one not only loses the
people’s trust & confidence, but also deprives oneself from opportunities
to improve & develop.
Something I
always knew from watching my father work at senior levels, but only realised
much later in life was valuing every person you’re working with regardless of
his/her hierarchical relationship with you. Everyone is different, everyone has
a role & most importantly everyone has something to offer for you to learn.
Even from a low performer one can learn things to avoid or to value what one
has. So the 1st important quality is to respect & value the people
you work with.
As you grow
higher in your role, the leadership skills start being more & more
prominent. And for a good leader I feel knowing & seeing the bigger picture
is very critical (in management jargons it’s called Strategic Vision). I
believe I have developed this skill over a period by observing my seniors &
how sometime their views were different than mine & brought a new
perspective.
Keep learning.
There is no alternative to ‘continuous learning’ if one wants to do well at any
managerial level. At every stage in one’s career there’s something new to learn,
new skill to acquire. Be it a technical / functional upskilling or soft skill
development one always has some room for development.
4. What advice in terms of skills, attitude, would you give to fresh graduates looking to succeed in their career, especially in roles like operations, project management?
Strong
Fundamentals i.e. good academics with clear understanding is the key to start.
At the start
of the career it’s best to have a clear long term professional & personal goals
about what one wants to achieve (and of course strong will to work towards that
goal is equally critical). But if the goal is not very clear at start, one
should try to figure it out as early in the career as possible. Without this,
its very easy to lose interest & subsequently losing the performance and
have an average career
Money is very
important. But focus should be on working on self, it’ll take care of the money
& growth. There is nothing wrong about working for money, but one should
also accept that sometimes more money means compromising your personal space
& time. So be ready for that.
5. You've led teams throughout your career. What’s your approach to managing a creative team, and how do you ensure everyone stays motivated and on track?
I strongly
believe that a leader is as good as his/her team. In that sense I have been
fortunate to work with teams that always fostered my managerial skills. And one
of the most important factors I have been conscious about while building a strong
creative team is to maintain a good balance of diversity – in terms of skills, experience,
personal backgrounds, gender. This brings a different perspective on to the
table & makes a mutually complementing team. But this also comes with
inherent challenge of managing different mindsets to work cohesively in one
direction.
As a manager,
I have grown through the experiences of managing & resolving conflicts
which are also integral part of such diverse & dynamic team. While it’s
good to have different ideas & thoughts, one has to go with what suits the
best in the context of the situation with clear view on short term as well as
long term implications. And most critical part of dealing with different ideas
is to be able to provide rationale when a certain idea can not be pursued for a
reason.
Feedback
& Communication is very crucial. It should be regular and most importantly
two way. While sharing feedback could be part of the role, asking for feedback
as a manager is essential to build the trust & also to help oneself
improve.
6. Can you share a personal achievement or hobby that you’re proud of and how it has influenced your professional life?
Movies &
Travelling are 2 of my hobbies that I believe have influenced my thought
process that has been pivotal in my professional career. Owing to my curious
nature, I have been enjoying movies more for their process in the background
than their entertainment value. This, I believe, has also nurtured my ‘creative
thinking’ which has been one of my tools at work. Besides, ‘Movies’ is a common
topic that helps in building a good connect with the team
Travelling,
on the other hand broadens one’s mindset. I have always loved going to
different places & have enjoyed exploring people, culture & food more than
just visiting attractive locations or landmarks. My work has given me a lot
opportunities of international travels. And have tried to make the most of the
weekends / off-days by exploring new places. Apart from being receptive to
different thoughts I think my travelling experiences have made me respect
ethnic & cultural diversity at work
7. How do you handle tight deadlines and the stress that comes with operations? Can you share some of your strategies for managing stress and the activities you engage in to de-stress and recharge?
Over the
period I have learnt to manage the work stress better. One of the keys is to
stay focused on the task at hand & be pragmatic about its achievability. One
should always aim for 100% achievement but sometimes there could be challenges
due to out-of-control factors. In such situations, one needs to accept &
try to find an alternate solution. More than the ‘actual results’ the ‘result
oriented’ approach matters the most in professional life.
I can’t say I
can detach myself completely from work during my personal time, but I do make
an effort to take some time out for myself more regularly. During such ‘me time’
I go for a bike ride for a few hours. I also plan a long ride – around 2-3K KMs
– every year or year-&-half. That’s a great rejuvenating experience. And
when there’s not enough time for such rides, a good movie or a series is a
great option for couple of hours of destressing.
8. Being a father, spouse, how has been your daily routine and how do you manage it in terms of family time and personal time? What advice do you give your child about life, career and success?
My day starts
early morning around 5:30 with around 1 hours of Yoga, followed by seeing off
my kids to school & then daily chores. Since my work hours start around
early afternoon, by default I get a few hours in the morning for myself. And
thanks to the new hybrid working of WFH & WFO, I’ve been able to spend a
little more time in the night with my kids, wife & parents than earlier.As for the
kids, one of the finest cricket commentators & a revered management speaker
Harsha Bhogle had once said, which makes a lot sense to me, is that “Talent can
open the first door of opportunity but without discipline & dedication it
cannot open all the doors thereafter”.
I believe
upcoming generations are getting smarter by the day so with all that smartness
the most important advice would be
1.
Focus on physical & mental fitness – give
yourself at least hour of the day for this. No alternative if one wants to
succeed in life.
2.
Keeping things simple – very difficult to
follow, but can be imbibed with practice & patience
3.
Integrity & being sincere at what one does. This
is very critical in today’s world to create & hold one’s strong identity.
It pays off in long run.
If followed,
most of the life would then be sorted and a lot easier
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