During the last 20+ years in information technology, Shobhita Saxena, Global Head of Innovation and Analytics at Adient, has been given more onerous global and diversified tasks. She has overseen operational budgets in excess of $100 million and worldwide teams of over 300 brilliant individuals.
Shobhita excels in forming and motivating high-performing teams focused on flawless execution, creative technological ideas, and a drive for excellence. Despite setbacks and environmental hurdles, the teams she has led have propelled to deliver their best.
Below are highlights of the interview:
Tell us about your journey. How did it all start?
I was a science student in high school, but in those times, computer science was not an offered course of study. I followed my father’s advice to go into finance and earned a bachelor’s and master’s degree in finance from the most reputed institutions in Delhi, India. I also interned as a Chartered Accountant, hoping to pursue a career as a C.A. (equivalent of C.P.A. in the U.S.). However, my heart was not in it. I took an entrance exam for a Postgraduate Diploma in Systems Management. Not only did I score exceedingly well, I loved the content! I knew then, which was about 30 years ago, that I wanted a career in a field related to computers.
I started in information technology as a programmer and simply loved it! My passion and excitement for IT was fueled by the appreciation I received from my customers because of my creativity. I continuously learned and evolved into different areas of IT along my journey, but the smiles and accolades from my customers during my tenure as a successful programmer are still priceless memories and some of the best rewards!
What do you think it takes to succeed?
When I was very young, my mother taught me, “Nothing succeeds like success”. Back then, I found it a bit quizzical and didn’t understand the power encapsulated in that simple phrase. Along life’s journey, however, I understood exactly what that meant.
Life throws us countless challenges and breaks us down at times. The ability to balance life’s priorities, persisting calmly in pursuing what you believe in, knowing your strengths and weaknesses clearly and objectively, being compassionate to others, having faith, and having a good support system are key ingredients to achieving what you believe is success.
At the end of each day, if I feel that I achieved my goals for that day, even if that was to take a restful nap, or help someone else, I consider myself successful.
As the Global Head of Innovation and Analytics of Adient plc., what are your major roles and responsibilities?
In my current role, I have global responsibility for all advanced technologies and enterprise architecture. Advanced technologies include Artificial Intelligence, Robotic Process Automation, Data Strategy, Advanced Analytics, Operations Research, Augmented Reality, and Virtual Reality. More importantly, my role focuses on solving business problems using creative solutions and innovative technologies. I am also the IT representative in our organization’s commitment to “creating a sustainable future”.
How do you motivate people to go the extra mile?
As a leader, I am known to build the “dream team” that people aspire to be a part of. They do not hesitate to go the extra mile, when warranted, and want to stay connected regardless of where their paths may lead them. Building trust and relationships by being empathetic and caring towards the team is a first step to getting the team behind you. Reward and recognition go a long way in motivating teams. Identifying talent and nurturing it by providing mentoring and growth opportunities is a longer-term investment in developing strong, resilient, and competent teams.
I am vulnerable when sharing my own emotions and experiences, thereby making those I lead feel psychologically safe. Being transparent about expectations and having clarity in direction enables me to translate the organization’s vision into focused objectives for my team. I facilitate and encourage innovation and empower people to be confident in identifying problems, exploring solutions and being trustworthy business partners with our customers. I try to stay calm in stressful situations and engage the right players to arrive at a path to resolution of issues and conflict.
What gets you up in the morning? What motivates you?
If I look deep inside to answer this question, my biggest motivator is my family. Another lesson my mom taught me in my younger years was, “you can’t take care of others if you don’t take good care of yourself”. I try to stay healthy, positive, and capable, not only to be a rock for my family, but also to help those who have been treated unfairly by life.
What advice would you give to the emerging women leaders and enthusiasts considering a career in today’s advance world?
Be clear about the prioritization of all the competing roles, aspirations, and tasks on hand along your life’s journey. Be prepared to take a step back and reprioritize, if necessary. Do not deprioritize your health.
As a leader, be kind and compassionate towards working parents, mothers, and fathers alike. Bringing children up in the U.S. is tough and expensive, and the provisions for new parents are not equitable in comparison to other leading nations. Parents shouldn’t feel penalized for wanting to have children. Similarly, be empathetic towards those caring for aging parents.
Where do you see yourself in upcoming years?
I always strive for continuous learning and growth and for novel ways to contribute to the organization I work for. In my current role, we have just scratched the surface of the art of the possible. The innovative ideas my team has implemented have already started to yield savings and cost avoidance worth millions of dollars and efficiency improvements that save thousands of hours annually. There is so much more yet to explore and deliver. With the appropriate support from the senior leadership, I hope to make a big difference to the company’s bottom line and deliver significant value to our business partners in the next few years.
What have you failed at and how do you overcome challenges?
I have not been able to learn golf, despite taking a few classes. It required a lot of time and money and at the time, I could only spend time and money on classes for my children. So, I gave up. I was also highly interested in learning a specific form of Indian Classical dance but there wasn’t an opportunity in the early years in my life. I found a great teacher just a few years ago but by then, it was much harder for my body to respond as well as needed. I was able to perform on the stage once and that brought me immense joy but I couldn’t get to the initial “professional” stage of proficiency that I had hoped to achieve. If time permits, I may take up at least one of these again someday.
I refuse to consider setbacks as failures. When something I aspire for or try doesn’t go well, I do a 360 reflection to learn what I could do differently. I count my blessings and the many reasons life has given me to be grateful for.
Why are you passionate about what you do?
My work provides me with an opportunity to be creative and to make a difference – either to the organization I work for or to the people I engage with. Solving problems and delivering results has always brought me delight. It also allows me to meet and/or work with other talented professionals and amazing people who inspire me to continuously learn and improve. Being able to keep my team engaged and driven despite the worst pandemic, a cruel war and the side effects that the world has witnessed in decades motivates me to do my best every day and help lead my team and our organization to success and a sustainable future.
Website: www.adient.com
