Tech Leader Talk Weighing the Pros and Cons of Remote Work
Aman Agarwal, founder and president of Sanpram Transnational (an executive education company), joins me in this episode of Tech Leader Talk to discuss how he got into the world of technology and kickstarted Sanpram. Aman, a former engineer and passionate teacher and writer, has a degree in engineering and started in sales, eventually moving his way up to bigger companies. Because of a troubling knowledge gap and cultural gap that he observed in the technology world, Aman started Sanpram Transnational, which seeks to close that gap by educating business leaders in technological matters.
Aman also shares with us what trends he thinks will have the biggest impacts on the technology world over the next couple of years, such as remote work resulting in more diversity in the workforce developing. In his opinion, business leaders in the technology world need to make sure that the need to work remotely is not detrimental to humanity, and they ought to focus on the pros of remote work and work on improving upon the cons.
Aman is also of the mindset that it is very important in his business to be confident in yourself and to also be realistic. He offers tips such as surrounding yourself with people who are willing to share their knowledge and expertise (people who have what he refers to as the "heart of a teacher"), having empathy, and putting business first and technology second. He reflects on his hopes for the future (such as good education being at a lower cost), and he even fills us in on his favorite book from the last year!
Be sure to check Sanpram out over at their website, and also be sure to subscribe to Tech Leader Talk so that you never miss an episode!
Time Stamps
[0:07] – Steve introduces this episode's guest, Aman Agarwal, and briefly explains his credentials and his background.
[1:02] – Aman provides us with more details about his background such as how he has a degree in engineering and started in sales.
[2:38] – We learn what Aman does today with Sanpram Transnational, also giving us the backstory of how he started with them.
[5:45] – Aman discusses what trends he expects will impact the world of technology over the next couple of years.
[7:07] – Aman explains what he thinks business leaders need to be considering with a more distributed workforce, such as maintaining high quality connection between people even when it's virtual.
[8:35] – Steve adds his own insight to the conversation, suggesting that we make the most of virtual communication.
[10:26] – Aman reflects upon what he believes makes a tech leader successful, namely high self-esteem.
[13:27] – Steve comments on the importance of knowing one's target audience.
[14:19] – Aman advises us on what we should do if we're looking to start learning the new approach to communication, starting with surrounding ourselves with people who want to share their knowledge.
[16:43] – Aman offers a second piece of advice – having what he calls tactical empathy.
[19:02] – Aman looks forward to the future of technology, reflecting, for example, on high quality education becoming more affordable.
[21:56] – Aman shares the most important lesson that he has learned – putting business before technology.
[23:51] – Aman enthusiastically credits Phil Knight's Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of Nike as his favorite book from the last year.
[25:12] – We discover what's ahead for Aman and Sanpram in the near future, like how Aman is currently writing a book.
Links and Resources
Phil Knight – Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of Nike