Human on the Inside with Arrow Digital’s Jasmine Batra
Maxme: We’re big believers in the power of human skills. But don’t just take our word for it - the evidence for excellence powered by human (‘soft’) skills is everywhere! In this engaging, ever-enlightening series, we speak with industry leaders, innovators and game-changers to learn a little about their personal career journeys, and how human-led strategies, philosophies and cultures are proving a force for good in their working worlds …
Welcome Jasmine, and thanks for stepping into the #SuccessIsHuman Spotlight!
You’re Chief Digital Officer & M.D. at Arrow Digital Marketing - a team of go getters who make market leaders by deploying best in class internet marketing strategies, with a speciality in search and social media.
In 1 sentence (ok, we’ll give you 3), what does this role entail?
Jasmine Batra: It's primarily about staying on top of what’s new and upcoming in the tech world, especially from the big giants like Google and Facebook etc. My role is to ensure we stay a step ahead so our clients get the early mover advantage and to lead the team so they feel supported & inspired to bring their best game.
M: You’ve been leading the team at Arrow Digital (Arrow) for over 17 years now, but your impressive career in digital marketing of course extends beyond this. Since early 2019 you’ve also been a Business Coach for Arrow Scaleups where you work with esteemed players in the Australian ecosystem as an expert coach on various accelerator programs.
However your career started with a slightly different focus. LinkedIn tells us you spent 3 years as a Product Development & Technology Specialist with Cyber Edge Technologies, followed by two years as Project Leader with emind. Next up was a two year stint in Resource Planning Analytics with leading customer experience consultancy Stellar.
How does all this work speak to your personal purpose and what drives you as an individual?
JB: My career has given me hands-on experience in productization, identifying market gaps, product life cycle management from launches to building the ecosystem through brand collaboration & partnerships. What drives me is seeing adoption of innovative products and solutions from early market validation, to proven traction through to capturing market share. I see it as value creation. ‘Is it adding value’, is the question I ask when working on projects. That drives me.
M: Tell us a little about your personal education pathway/s - what led you to where you are now? How closely do your formal qualifications match your current career?
JB: I come from a culture where academic education is highly valued. I did a Bachelor of Commerce and an honours in Systems Management where I learned programming languages from COBOL (Business Oriented Programming Language), UNIX, Java. I then pursued an MBA degree in Marketing & Economics. Studied consumer behaviour and econometrics.
So am I using what I learnt? I’d say to a great extent. My education has set the foundation and given me the building blocks for all things new and emerging e.g. machine learning & AI.
Combining the disciplines of tech with marketing through my formal education has given me the unique ability for understanding of both the worlds. My work now for example, is helping tech enabled companies with their go-to market strategies. It's a convergence of my IT education with my marketing degree. Just last week I was presented with a situation faced by a client and it seemed straight from a case study from back in college. While the world we live in today is hugely different, the basics and tenets and principles are timeless.
M: If you could share one piece of career advice to your 21 year old self it would be ...
Your life, your decisions.
JB: Thinking back, I would seek and often just follow (unsolicited) advice given to me on career decisions based on the premise, they must know better. No one knows you like YOU. Don’t assume others know better. And don’t overthink. You don’t need to have it all figured out. Tune in to your gut and go for it. It’s your life. Take your decisions.
M: Maximising the potential of individuals, communities and businesses through the power of human skills is the reason Maxme exists. Can you tell us a little about the role and / or value of human skills in your workplace right now?
JB: I believe human skills are the heart & soul of everything. As a company with the primary role of helping organisations cut through the clutter and stand out, there are multiple internal & external stakeholders you work with. It's a fast paced environment. Navigating cross-functional dynamic and competing priorities requires bringing out far more than clever ideas.
The Maxme mission resonates so strongly with me. With the right tools and training we are all capable of developing critical human skills like mindfulness, self awareness, collaboration etc. It empowers us so we can live and work to our potential.
M: Self awareness sets the critical foundation for all Maxme learning experiences. With that said … what’s your strongest trait / personal super power?
JB: It will have to be empathy. I can relate to people, where they are coming from, their perspectives, the why behind their thinking. Not just putting myself in their shoes but walking the distance. Where others feel heard & understood. It has enabled me to form deeper and more meaningful connections.
M: And on the flip side, what’s one human / ‘soft’ skill you’ve had to really work on improving over the course of your career?
JB: Cultural intelligence. It's something I have actively worked on myself. Each one of us is shaped by cultural conditioning that goes back generations. It brings with it a set of biases and beliefs. Being aware of when they may be at play and responding accordingly is work in progress. Australia is such a great country to test and teach about it. I have clients from different nationalities and a diverse team spread geographically that requires adaptation to those settings a conscious and constant effort.
M: If you could share one piece of career advice with recent Uni graduates or candidates keen to work at a company like Arrow Digital, what would it be?
JB: This is easy. I would say pick one aspect of marketing you are good at. Any one area (creative, copywriting, PR, Media etc) plus one tool (Google Ads, Canva, Tiktok, Hubspot etc) and then go deep into it, read about it, practise it, master it. Once you have that, reach out and apply. This is for all you uni graduates out there, if there is a company you want to work with and you know you have VALUE to offer, don’t wait for a job ad, reach out and apply.
Never get complacent. Challenge yourself and stay curious so you are open to new learning.
M: You’ve been granted approval to add one University graduate to your team, but have 100 applicants, all with outstanding academic results. How do you find your perfect candidate - what are you looking for?
JB: Can I have them all, please :)
It will be one where there is a match in their values and principles to our company values.
We have five core values: passion, pace, progress, promise, positivity. If I can expand a little on them.
They have to love the domain. Having passion will fuel them.
Things have to move with a sense of urgency. Hence the pace.
But it's not just activity, it's about driving outcomes and delivering progress.
Keeping your word. Both to the team and clients. It's a promise of doing what was agreed.
Finally, the glass is half-full kind of people. Optimistic and positive people who see opportunities where others may see problems.
We look for people who embody that. It's uncovered in the two rounds of interviews and through the process of making an offer.
There it is!
M: In the words of John Dewey, “education is not preparation for life, education is life itself.” What’s next on your #learning agenda?
JB: Gosh, there is so much to learn. I have a few hundred bookmarks on my Chrome tab to read later. These are topics from leadership and buyer’s psychology to metaverse marketing.
One big one I have on my list is AI application in decision making and process automation.
Understanding practical application in auto task assignment reviews and reminders and how it could streamline workflow.
I am finishing Dare to Lead by Brene Brown and over the weekend bought Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself by Joe Dispenza.
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Inspired by Jasmine’s insights around empathy, cultural intelligence, and how to leverage human skills for success in work, the workplace and/or life?
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