We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Bobby Bakshi. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Bobby below.

Bobby, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Was there an experience or lesson you learned at a previous job that’s benefited your career afterwards?

The biggest theme in several jobs and work experiences has been empathy for others. I learned the hard way, when leaders only focus on results and treat people as “resources” – the outcomes are not good.

In reverse, when leadership, starting with the CEO, truly walk the talk of humanity first, amazing things are possible. I am fortunate to have worked with amazing people who lead in this way. When leaders balance getting results with developing people, meeting them where they are, and personally caring for people — great things are possible.

This realization, of the contrast, led me to what I do now–helping leaders and companies create cultures of thriving founded on belonging for all.

Bobby, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I’ve had two careers. Market Research/Consumer Insights and People & Culture/Leadership Development. The common thread between the two is my deep passion and commitment to understanding and serving people.

This led me to creating my own consulting practice to help people thrive at work. I am committed to bridging divides, helping leaders get real about conflict by meeting people where they are and creating safe space for people to be heard and understood.

We live in a highly divided world. It has a negative impact on business, and on people. Fortunately, mental health is finally being normalized as a area that employers must support their people on. It takes courageous leaders, with head and heart, to go from “walking on eggshells” (on contentious topics) to “dancing on eggshells.”

My consulting practice is focused on helping leaders and their companies bridge existing gaps in Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, and Belonging. I do this by providing Executive Coaching, Leadership Development, Employee Engagement & Experience.

I am also a partner with taproot ventures (www.thetaprootway.com). Our taproot Cultural Health Index assesses a company’s health, based on 8 tenets of belonging. Our survey is completed by all employees anonymously and results in showing if the company is thriving, healthy or struggling. The outcome is a roadmap of actions, based on the findings, for our clients to commit to areas for improvement.

In short, I love supporting people to be their best which in turns benefits the company they work for.

Finally, I’d say what has always seen me through is my focus on my purpose:

I connect people with their humanity, so they shine! I do this by…
– meeting people where they are
– inspiring them for what can be
– challenging them to have it all

Because, fundamentally I believe in the incredible power of oneness!

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

So glad you asked. Many mentors have said resilience is one of my Super Powers.

There are several stories of my journey with resilience and the most prominent one is when I decided to leave Microsoft after 8.5 years there. I am so grateful for all I learned at Microsoft. It’s the place that gave me the opportunity to shift my career from Market Research to People & Culture/Leadership Development, by learning on the job and getting certified in many globally recognized leadership development frameworks.

I was just starting out in my People & Culture career. I wasn’t able to find a full-time role in that area at Microsoft, despite being an internal candidate. All my mentors said I was building the right skills, but there were many PhD candidates ahead of me. My mentors suggested I branch out on my own, and then consult back in to Microsoft.

That was a hard decision to make. To give up the perks of working at Microsoft and take a leap of faith to create my own practice, in an area that was not yet my expertise. The first few years were hard. As a single income provider for my family (5 of us), this brought up a lot of fear.

I tried many things. Most things didn’t materialize during my first go at consulting.

I was fortunate to be invited to some amazing People & Culture roles, including leading HR for a global professional services company in the US. I learned a ton. I worked directly with the CEO in these roles. I had a lot of responsibilities and stakeholders to balance. And I learned that when you are internal, your hands are tied. Very few companies give you the freedom to create a truly thriving culture.

That’s when I went back out on my own. I have been fortunate to have a rich practice, a combination of my own clients and partnerships that are very aligned with my values and my passions.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

Lots of pivots on my career journey. All leading me to greater clarity of knowing and owning my Super Powers.

To continue from my story of resilience, many of my career moments were very hard. Sudden lay offs due to company revenue slowing down. Leadership Development is one of those first areas to be cut.

I’ve found that rather than depending on one company as my source of livelihood and I am better off serving many with my purpose and my gifts.

It’s not easy to build a consulting practice, as I shared earlier it was rough in the beginning. The truly revolutionary pivot was to realize my gifts are worth sharing with many and in many ways. I now partner with many companies that are “like-hearted.” I am very intuitive and can assess if a partnership will be mutually successful or not quickly.

I bring this sense of curiosity and possibilities to my clients, from C-suite leaders to early career stage leaders.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.BobbyBakshi.com www.MyPurposeDIY.com www.thetaprootway.com
• Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/bobbyb

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