Rajesh George
Country Manager
In an exclusive interview with CEO Insights Magazine, Rajesh George, Country Manager, India, KEMET Electronics, walks us through his unique leadership traits:
Engage us with the insightful endeavors that helped you reach the level you have achieved today? How has been your journey in the Appliances, Electrical, and Electronics Manufacturing industry?
I've always been and continue to be a learner. I always recall and followed the slogan ‘If you take up a task, do it with the greatest sincerity and integrity and to the best of your ability, or else don't do it’ from my earliest days. One should view issues or opportunities from several angles, allowing several points of view to be heard, understood, and taken into the mix.
I've been in the electrical and electronics manufacturing industry for almost 25 years, and it's a fascinating and demanding field. This is a market where you must constantly reinvent your market strategy. The market segment in which you are currently strong can quickly become a dead zone. The outcomes and growth can be disastrous unless you have a balanced spread across the various categories in which you operate. During the early stages of my career, I had the honour and chance to be a part of different product launch campaigns, formalising strategy and working with various teams within the organisation. Such experiences have helped me develop my analytical skills which I strongly believe is very critical for any sales person apart from interpersonal and communication skills. Anyone can acquire these skills if we are willing to learn and go that extra mile.
Tell us about the traits that describe your leadership approach and your method of leading the crew forward?
'Together we always achieve more', I believe in a collaborative approach that is magical. The most crucial part is to clearly express the objectives and goals (both short and long term) from the start of the
Sales cycle, as well as how the team can make a difference in exceeding the specified targets. A proactive strategy, monitoring progress and guiding the team to follow the correct path at the right time will undoubtedly bring us far closer to our objectives. An organisation or a team is nothing more than a collection of individuals with varying personality traits, strengths, and attributes.
Every individual's input is critical to the team's success. It is critical to identify your team members' skills and shortcomings while motivating them and making them realise their significance and contribution to the team. Furthermore, recognising their accomplishments and celebrating their successes as well as their disappointments, will have a significant positive impact on morale. Leaders, in my opinion, should approach any business with a people-centric/ humanistic mindset. We must keep in mind that it is people who make a difference. Leaders must listen more and engage everyone whether it's a customer, a colleague or the entire team.
What has been your mantra towards dealing with the demand of constant travel?
Traveling is unavoidable, especially in the sales industry. Connecting and engaging with customers, whether internal or external, is vital for relationship building and long term partnership success. I appreciate visiting new locations and meeting individuals from other cultures and geographies since it broadens our knowledge and thinking. I am also a firm believer in work life balance. When I am with my family, I believe in spending quality time with them.
As a country manager, how have you been keeping up with the trends in the market?
I strongly feel that being updated and acquiring the appropriate information is critical for success in a Sales Career or developing business in a region. It is critical to collect information from multiple sources, evaluate the responses and facts, and then formulate the next course of action. A well-informed sales person will undoubtedly have an advantage over his or her peers, allowing him or her to make the appropriate judgments at the right moment and stay ahead of the competition. Following market trends is one aspect of that information collecting process, and in today's digital environment, doors
Every individual's input is critical to the team's success. It is critical to identify your team members' skills and shortcomings while motivating them and making them realise their significance and contribution to the team. Furthermore, recognising their accomplishments and celebrating their successes as well as their disappointments, will have a significant positive impact on morale. Leaders, in my opinion, should approach any business with a people-centric/ humanistic mindset. We must keep in mind that it is people who make a difference. Leaders must listen more and engage everyone whether it's a customer, a colleague or the entire team.
Learning is a life-long process that never ends. Right from the outset of my work, I was fortunate to have amazing mentors and colleagues who taught me numerous life lessons. Analytical, leadership, people management, and communication abilities would be at the top of my acquired list
What has been your mantra towards dealing with the demand of constant travel?
Traveling is unavoidable, especially in the sales industry. Connecting and engaging with customers, whether internal or external, is vital for relationship building and long term partnership success. I appreciate visiting new locations and meeting individuals from other cultures and geographies since it broadens our knowledge and thinking. I am also a firm believer in work life balance. When I am with my family, I believe in spending quality time with them.
As a country manager, how have you been keeping up with the trends in the market?
I strongly feel that being updated and acquiring the appropriate information is critical for success in a Sales Career or developing business in a region. It is critical to collect information from multiple sources, evaluate the responses and facts, and then formulate the next course of action. A well-informed sales person will undoubtedly have an advantage over his or her peers, allowing him or her to make the appropriate judgments at the right moment and stay ahead of the competition. Following market trends is one aspect of that information collecting process, and in today's digital environment, doors
are open for anybody to explore. I am a member of several industry groups where we exchange the latest business news and trends and learn from one another. Regular connections with clients from various segments, industry colleagues, and business partners are essential. Last but not least, reading is critical, something I believe is lacking in the younger generation.
Could you tell us about the various skills you have acquired during your career?
Learning is a life long process that never ends. Right from the outset of my work, I was fortunate to have amazing mentors and colleagues who taught me numerous life lessons. Analytical, leadership, people management and communication abilities would be at the top of my acquired list. It is also critical to develop a brand for yourself and your organisation.
Where do you envision yourself heading towards the post-pandemic period? What will be the roles and responsibilities you see yourself shouldering and the areas you will be exploring in the future market?
The COVID-19 pandemic has severely altered the majority of our lives. It has caused us to reflect and change the way we work, spend our leisure time and on a lighter note, the way we dress as well. Companies all across the world are struggling to cope with the situation, particularly those in the manufacturing sector, which is experiencing component shortages and increased costs. To stay one step ahead of our competition, we must constantly innovate, invent, reinvent and adapt to new ways of working and living.
However, this had a good impact as well. People cultivated their relationships with loved ones. On the corporate front, customer visits and meetings have been transformed to Skype calls & Webinars, keeping the customer relationships and momentum ticking as usual. We've learned the Hybrid method, which will become the new normal. Global geopolitical issues may promote theexpansion of India's electronic manufacturing industry. Markets to keep an eye on include telecommunications and automotive (particularly electric vehicles).
Rajesh George, Country Manager, KEMET Electronics
Born and Raised in Kerala, Electronics and Telecommunication Engineer with Masters in Business administration(Marketing), Happily married with two Children
•Hobbies:Music, Singing, Song writing, Movies, Travelling and Reading.
I have a YouTube channel‘Beyond47’ which showcases my music videos. A couple of my original songs are available in popular music platforms like Apple Music, Amazon Prime Music, Spotify. Etc
•Favourite Cuisine:Kerala Meals with fish curry
•Favourite Book:‘Factfulness’ by Hans Rosling; ‘Jumping the S-Curve’ by Paul Nunes & Tim Breene
•Favourite Travel Destination: Paris & Rome Kyoto, Japan; Kodaikanal, India
Could you tell us about the various skills you have acquired during your career?
Learning is a life long process that never ends. Right from the outset of my work, I was fortunate to have amazing mentors and colleagues who taught me numerous life lessons. Analytical, leadership, people management and communication abilities would be at the top of my acquired list. It is also critical to develop a brand for yourself and your organisation.
Where do you envision yourself heading towards the post-pandemic period? What will be the roles and responsibilities you see yourself shouldering and the areas you will be exploring in the future market?
The COVID-19 pandemic has severely altered the majority of our lives. It has caused us to reflect and change the way we work, spend our leisure time and on a lighter note, the way we dress as well. Companies all across the world are struggling to cope with the situation, particularly those in the manufacturing sector, which is experiencing component shortages and increased costs. To stay one step ahead of our competition, we must constantly innovate, invent, reinvent and adapt to new ways of working and living.
However, this had a good impact as well. People cultivated their relationships with loved ones. On the corporate front, customer visits and meetings have been transformed to Skype calls & Webinars, keeping the customer relationships and momentum ticking as usual. We've learned the Hybrid method, which will become the new normal. Global geopolitical issues may promote theexpansion of India's electronic manufacturing industry. Markets to keep an eye on include telecommunications and automotive (particularly electric vehicles).
Rajesh George, Country Manager, KEMET Electronics
Born and Raised in Kerala, Electronics and Telecommunication Engineer with Masters in Business administration(Marketing), Happily married with two Children
•Hobbies:Music, Singing, Song writing, Movies, Travelling and Reading.
I have a YouTube channel‘Beyond47’ which showcases my music videos. A couple of my original songs are available in popular music platforms like Apple Music, Amazon Prime Music, Spotify. Etc
•Favourite Cuisine:Kerala Meals with fish curry
•Favourite Book:‘Factfulness’ by Hans Rosling; ‘Jumping the S-Curve’ by Paul Nunes & Tim Breene
•Favourite Travel Destination: Paris & Rome Kyoto, Japan; Kodaikanal, India