Sandeep Yadav - My Life Has Been a Perfect Blend of High and Low Points Which Kept the Momentum Going For Me (Senior Director, Delhivery)

My positive attitude and self-belief have always motivated me to achieve better in life. Something that I never questioned was my capabilities which were an impetus that helped me grow professionally.

Tell us about your background, journey, and upbringing.

I hail from this beautiful coastal city of Karnataka, Mangalore. I completed my alma mater from Mangalore itself.  Wherein, I pursued graduation from my dream college- NITK-Surathkal, which is one of the most prestigious engineering colleges having its own private beach. This is when I saw my personality evolve and I inculcated the qualities of leadership and people management. 

However, I went through emotional turmoil when I lost my dad at the age of 8 in a road accident. Since then, it has just been us three siblings and our doting mother. Yet, our mother ensured that she gave us a box full of happy childhood memories that give us immense joy even now. She has made me a strong and better person, and I owe my humility in life to her.

How did you rise to the highest echelons in your career? 

My positive attitude and self-belief have always motivated me to achieve better in life. Something that I never questioned was my capabilities which were an impetus that helped me grow professionally.  My life has been a perfect blend of high and low points which kept the momentum in me going. 

Highs facilitated that I climb up the ladder and lows ensured that I remain grounded. I feel everyone has their set of exclusive traits which differentiates them from the rest. I have always tried to make the most of my calibre and let the marginal leap shape my destiny. 

What does your typical workday look like?

I start my refreshed mornings usually at 6:30 am; wherein first I consume some warm water, followed by a strenuous 45-minute workout and meditation to rejuvenate my mental peace. Then I freshen up and give a kick start to my work at 8:30 am. 

My work calls and scheduled meetings start from 10 am, where I along with my team discuss the agenda for the day & for the week. Along with this, I have my follow-up calls, team reviews, interviews, cross-functional meetings, which extend till 8:30 pm. After my working hours culminate, I spend good 1-1.5 hours with my kids, follow up on my to-do list for an hour and go to bed by 11 pm.

It seems onboarding, even in 2021 is a long-drawn-out process behind the scenes. How do you envision this changing in the future?

Having a sterling onboarding process is vital for an employee’s seamless learning experience.  Finding that ideal candidate is a long-drawn-out process, but how will you extract the potential of those hired candidates? 

The answer is to conduct an effective onboarding process that will help these employees understand our organization’s work culture better. With the emerging technological advancements in almost all fields of operations except the onboarding process, it is still a time-consuming process that can get to the patience levels, but it helps you to hire the right candidate.

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Several global companies have come out and thrown their support behind not needing a formal education. What is your opinion about this?

From legendary investors to niche companies, everyone has extended their support towards formal education not being a prerequisite for success.  The learned investor Mr Warren Buffet had very rightfully quoted that colleges are not for everyone and you don't need to gain the required knowledge and expertise from these institutions.  

Mr Buffet added on to say that a college provides you with a degree, but that degree doesn’t mean you know how to do the job as well.  I feel although there is no denying the fact that being educated works wonders in helping your mind grow and boosting your self-confidence, it is not a sure shot gateway to success.

What is the best piece of advice you would like to give to those who want to rise in their careers in the corporate world?

My Mantra in life is- “Work towards excellence, strive for the best, and believe in yourself.” This will definitely help you to achieve the highest standards in life

No hard and fast rule can help an employee or employer sustain and eventually thrive in their respective corporate jobs. Except for a couple of traits that can be imbibed that help in creating a difference. One of them being patience, if a person possesses that, then most of their worries will come to a standstill. When I say patience, I’m hinting at being patient about getting that right opportunity in life. 

I also feel that the best that we as professionals can do is to work hard and put our best foot forward. Second and foremost are to have humility always, to stay grounded, and never forget your roots. I believe that we should always be good to others for good things to happen to us.

How are things changing in your domain, what role will data and information play in the future?

With the exponential growth in data and the rising demand for data about customer preferences and likings- big corporations, governments, and even small businesses are trying to extract the best value from this customer data. The amount of data that is available to us can be turned around to make crucial decisions, improve operational efficiency and reap profitability. 

This is also because the ability to make the most optimum use of the available set of data is soaring.  Purposeful information from the data will also help companies develop products that best suit their target audience's needs.  Big data is also the new-aged thriving concept which helps businesses engage with their customers better on a real-time basis.

Which is your favourite book and why?

Thinking, fast and slow by Daniel Kahneman is hands down one of the best books that I have read in years.  This book has captivated the best insights into human minds in the most beautiful way.  This book has also highlighted the reasons how and why we make choices in life. It has certainly given me the clarity to make hard decisions and choices in life easily.