Human on the Inside with Academy of Speakers' Kailash Sarma
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 are 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 Kailash, and thanks for stepping into the #SuccessIsHuman Spotlight!
You’re the Co-Founder of The Academy of Speakers; an organisation you helped to establish 5 years ago (aged 15) with the intention of building the next generation of leaders via upskilling opportunities in areas such as confidence, public speaking, resilience and captivating audiences.
In 1 sentence (ok, we’ll give you 3), what does this role entail?
Kailash Sarma: Hello! Being the Co-Founder of any business means you’re wearing a lot of different hats. For me, it involves keeping up with the latest trends on Tiktok and Instagram that youth are watching, creating better programs, and speaking to customers and clients about how we can make Academy of Speaker’s a better overall experience!
M: In addition to your work with The Academy of Speakers, you’re a TedX speaker, entrepreneur and author; sharing the ‘3 keys to finding passion’ with your audiences. Alongside all of this, you’re the Chair of RUOK? National Youth Advisory Board and Co-Founder of Captivate the Future. Whoa!
How does all this work speak to your personal purpose and what drives you as an individual?
KS: What drives me everyday is a focus on making the world 1% better. I’m extremely grateful to have an amazing family, friends and team that help me in this pursuit. My personal purpose revolves around creating mechanisms, programs and initiatives to help achieve this vision, not just talking and raising awareness about them.
One thing I’ve had to come to terms with is that achieving your personal purpose is not linear. Some days, weeks and months you will feel like you’re going backwards and it might be challenging to see your impact. One of the best pieces of advice I’ve gotten is that everyday just focus on helping one person, and even if that person is you, it’s a great day.
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?
KS: Currently I’m working on the business whilst also working for an Investment Bank in Sydney. In terms of personal education pathways, after completing secondary school, I’m now studying a Bachelor of Commerce & Laws at University of Sydney. With wanting to follow a corporate career, my personal recommendation is going to University and getting a Bachelor’s Degree or higher, not so much because what you learn at Uni is important (there are points against and for), but because living ‘the Uni experience’ is an amazing one which has a valuable signalling effect on others.
Starting my own company when I was 15, I’ve always believed that learning comes not only from formal education but from a constant up-skilling framework. To that end, I’ve completed short courses from institutes such as Harvard University, Macquarie University and EntryLevel throughout the years on Entrepreneurship, Growth, Marketing, Product and Venture Capital.
Furthermore, I’m a huge believer in reading books and feel that’s given me the most leverage and assisted with my career development over anything else. From How to Win Friends and Influence People to Rich Dad Poor Dad, reading books allows you to get a deep understanding of a topic in a short period of time. I also think it’s a beautiful concept that an author is sharing their life’s work for $20 or so!
M: If you could share one piece of career advice to your 15 year-old self it would be ...
KS: Read as much as possible! As Mark Twain said, “The man who does not read good books has no advantage over the man who can't read them.” When I was in high school and reading books on trains, I always felt people were judging me, but would tell myself to embrace reading and to always make it a priority.
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 the work/workplaces you're involved with right now?
KS: 74% of people suffer from speech anxiety. That means that 74 out of a 100 people struggle to be on stage and present their opinions, insights and advice. Just think for a second what an advantage it would offer you to be confident, calm and equipped with strong human skills? You would have an advantage over your peers and colleagues.
Now imagine if EVERYBODY had built up their human skills. What you might find is that the people talking and sharing their insights are not just the most confident, but the smartest and the most intelligent. I believe that developing human skills gives you this insane competitive advantage.
M: Self Awareness sets the critical foundation for all Maxme learning experiences. With that said … what’s your strongest trait/personal superpower?
KS: I believe my strongest trait is being comfortable with being uncomfortable. No matter what the environment, I love being thrown in the deep-end and focusing on how to swim.
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?
KS: I’ve had to work on my compassion. Often I can get really immersed into my work and so goal-oriented, I forget my surroundings. I’ve been focusing on being more present and in the ‘now’ which has allowed me to see things that I wouldn’t normally see, and hence become more compassionate to the people around me.
M: If you could share one piece of career advice with recent secondary school graduates or those keen to work at a company like Academy of Speakers, what would it be?
KS: Show me your energy in an interview and throughout the application process. After going through Co-Op Scholarship Interviews, Cadetship interviews and other job interviews, I was always surprised by how many people showed up and acted as serious as the suit and tie they were wearing! I always like to use something that I call the ‘co-worker test’ - if the interviewer can’t imagine working alongside you day in and day out, and having interesting conversations with you, chances are you won’t get into the company because of misalignment with the ‘culture’.
Be sure to talk about your sports, passions and everything that isn’t work. I like to tell people I have a really cute, fluffy cavoodle named Zeus, enjoy longboarding, and play oztag. I also share my goal to one day have a really cool bookshelf filled with books that are highlighted with my favourite quotes.
Own who you are :)
M: You’ve been granted approval to add one University 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?
KS: Build me something beautiful or show me something beautiful you’ve built!
When looking for people to work with, I don’t look at grades, marks or what societies they’re a part of. I want to see how creative they are, what they’re passionate about, and what lights their soul on fire. One of the best ways to do this is to create a portfolio of the amazing things you’ve done beforehand and send it in with your resume. Be creative with your resume. One of my resumes is a website that covers all of the qualifications and experiences as well as my portfolio.
M: In the words of John Dewey, “education is not preparation for life, education is life itself.” What’s next on your #learning agenda?
KS: To truly understand strategy and venture capital. I’ve bought a couple books on this subject and enrolled into some courses. My goal isn’t to be the best at it in a year, but to understand the fundamentals.