Emerging leadership series - In conversation with Abdul Jeelani

How would you introduce yourself?

I am a passionate techie with good interpersonal skills who understands business and tech equally well. I am a firm believer that strategy without execution is hallucination. My strength is in the execution, While I employ different methods of execution cutting the unwanted and getting the job done worked out very well.

Can you tell me a bit about your career journey? What inspired you to take on the leadership role?

I started back in 2008 as an Assistant Software Engineer and in fact I got to play a leadership role right from my first opportunity. During the crisis of 2008 my campus offer was canceled so I joined a service Org as a trainee and then after 6 months I became a trainer there. With a couple of months into training, an opportunity arose where a local client needed to build a MLM website, but the Org did not want to take it up as they only welcome US and UK clients. For me it's a clean chance to prove so I went to the MD and said I will take it up and do it and for the team I can work with other 2 trainers. This negotiation went for like 1.5 hours, I narrated 50 different ways how I can make this happen to sell the idea, and finally we came to an agreement that If I deliver this website as promised then I will be promoted as an Engineer and can move on to client projects. And that is how I started my Dev / Leadership Journey as a Tech Lead from Day 1.

Then I moved on to begin a startup but it did not go well. Then I joined a product company where I lead a product (that is sold and a big revenue stream even today!)After a short stint in the next company as a Senior Software Engineer I joined my previous Org a Product company as a System Analyst and moved on to the System Architect role in a few months. This is when I realized the importance of business, domain knowledge and started learning Domain Driven Design etc. This is the moment where I took the leadership role more seriously and led the team to convert a 25 year old legacy enterprise system to a then Modern system in 5 years.

I am a leader because I am a people person and want to solve real world problems with pragmatic evolving solutions.

What were the top challenges you faced during your journey and how did you overcome them?

Thoughtworks is the first Corporate for me. After the first couple of years in /tw during my leadership journey I found the decision making was totally different. I required multiple rounds of conversations with too many people to convince. The way out I figured is to first know who has the stakes and just get their buy in and rest is informed. While this had its pros and cons It worked well for me.

The next big challenge is working with a diverse team especially from different cultures. The solution for that is to accept first that there are multiple ways to get things done, and find a common ground for win-win.

There were a couple of health issues I faced and I had the right leaders along with me which helped me overcome them in the workplace.

What motivates you everyday?

Of course My kids, I wanted to provide the best I can to them, that is the driver. Apart from that whenever I see a problem / issue that is a motivation you have an opportunity to make someone happy 🙂

Do you have a role model in your life? Can you name a few people who you look up to?

Yes, The role models do change as you mature, And in recent years I look up to Khabib Nurmagomedov, MMA fighter, the journey he went through, His humility and how he carries himself and so on.

One quote that I love from him is "When difficult decisions appear in my life, there are difficult questions to answer… I consult loved ones."

What does leadership mean to you? How would you describe your leadership style?

For me Leadership is taking people together towards the vision without losing interest and ensuring people around you are happy. For that the first step is to identify the right people for the right job.

⅓ of the problem is solved once you understand the problem better and clearly, ⅓ is solved once you have the right people, the remaining ⅓ is about execution. It is really really hard to fail in the last phase if we get the first two phases right.

What would be your advice to other leaders?

Put people first. You can be an Elon Musk or Nelson Mandela.

Make the decisions, It is okay to fail trying rather delaying forever

Always stay relevant - When we feel don't it's the time to retire !