Human on the Inside with Maxme’s Sachin Remson
Maxme: Welcome Sachin, and thanks for stepping into the #SuccessIsHuman Spotlight!
You’re Business Development Manager for … Maxme! Hooray, lucky us!
In 1 sentence (ok, we’ll give you 3), what does your role entail?
Sachin Remson: My role involves helping to spread awareness of the importance of human skills across all industries, and of course introducing individuals and organisations to Maxme learning programs offering huge benefits to their personal and professional lives.
M: You’re a newbie on the Maxme squad, but you’re certainly no rookie to the wide world of work. In fact, you’ve spent over two decades working for major international companies such as Aegis, Citibank India, Airtel Business, Tata Consultancy Services & Latitude Financial. Over that time you’ve donned varied hats; from Dialer Manager and Customer Experience Manager, to Consultant-Voice and Channel Optimization.
How does all this work speak to your personal purpose and what drives you as an individual?
SR: I’m hugely passionate about helping people to achieve their very best. Even during my analytical years across many countries and industries, it was the humans which I really cared about. Numbers can be good, but they’re essentially emotionless and never tell the whole story.
I’ve always cared deeply about human stories. I love interacting with people outside of work and being part of their journey. As a people leader, I’ve always enjoyed supporting their achievements, and watching how they evolve over time.
Helping and supporting my fellow humans is what drives me on a daily basis, and gives me the greatest of joys.
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?
SR: My formal education in Arts, especially my major in History, has little to do with my current job profile. However it absolutely gave me the perspective of accepting inter-cultural norms and being respectful of human emotions.
One of my biggest career learnings has come from early exposure across domains, including working with big organisations across international borders, observing new and different professional ethics. Along the way I’ve always been mindful about accepting feedback from those you trust.
My formal education opened my mind to career changes, understanding workplace trends, and helped me to adapt to new working practices - all of which undoubtedly shaped my current persona and will help me grow in the future too.
M: If you could share one piece of career advice to your 21 year old self it would be ...
Don't be afraid to ask questions and clarify doubts!
I would have told my 21 year self to always be curious, to simplify things, try to converse in five sentences, and always troubleshoot with your end to end user in mind.
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 or industry right now?
SR: Maxme is more relevant now than ever across vast communities as it exists to support & ‘optimise’ the humans behind the technologies that exist today, and those that lie ahead. Fundamentally we’re here to help humans thrive in work and life - no matter the tools, challenges &/or environments that change around them.
We are living in a world which is constantly changing. As we’re witnessing, AI is being used more and more to perform simple tasks, leaving complicated interaction to humans. This is putting pressure on employers and employees in terms of workplace engagements and getting the best out of the workforce. Across the business, we are constantly interacting with early starters (18-25 year) old, who are starting afresh in professional careers or with someone who is in mid 40 and looking to upskill himself.
We are talking to educational institutions committed equipping their learners with non-negotiable ‘future-fit’ human skills like communication, creativity and mindfulness - ones we now know are critical for organisations and individuals to succeed both today and into the future.
We are working closely with international students and newly arrived immigrants, talking to them about local culture, the importance of workplace relationships and communication so that they can achieve their Australian dream.
We have slowly realised that the criticality of human skills is being felt, not only in Australia but countries like India which have a young aspiring population and are ready to adapt changes in education.
All these kinds of interactions - particularly building trust and relationships, involve strong human skills. Every day I need to design powerful presentations, communicate clearly, listen closely, and negotiate with others to achieve great results.
M: Self awareness sets the critical foundation for all Maxme learning experiences. What’s your strongest trait / personal super power?
SR: My superpower is being honest and genuine with myself and others. I’m really proud of this, however sometimes I feel this power also gets me in trouble - perhaps I can be too candid? Most often though, people appreciate my feedback and ‘realist’ approach which I bring through my experiences.
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?
SR: I’ve had to work on my perseverance and it’s still a work in progress. We’re often told to indulge in multitasking, but I now feel that being able to prioritise in order to deliver quality is more important than anything else.
M: If you could share one piece of career advice with recent Uni graduates or candidates keen to work in the field of business development, what would it be?
SR: When starting a new job, one needs to observe, listen and try to immerse oneself in the organisational culture. He/she needs to understand the ultimate vision of the company, learn about the products and then spend time researching the market and its competition. Before pitching to external clients, they should be well versed with the offering and anticipate questions from customers.
M: You’ve been granted approval to add one Uni graduate to your business, but have 100 applicants, all with outstanding academic results. How do you find your perfect candidate - what are you looking for?
SR: I would choose a candidate with great communication skills, a hunger for feedback, awareness of strengths, and a willingness to work on weaknesses.
In the words of American philosopher, psychologist, and educational reformer John Dewey, “education is not preparation for life, education is life itself.”
What’s next on your #learning agenda?
SR: I’m excited to further polish my presentation and communication skills. Also maybe keen to do a diploma in Psychology in the future!
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