Page 3 - Al-Rashed Newsletter November 2020

TÊTE-A-TÊTE

You have been affiliated with Al Rashed for more than a decade; what do you think is
the core reason for such a long commitment?
There are a lot of reasons that made me give ten plus years of my life Al Rashed. But if I
must mention one core reason, then it must be the exhilaration of learning something new
every day. One of the main reasons why people switch jobs or careers is that they grow
tired of the repetitive nature of the job. Whereas working in the shipping industry is anything
but that, the industry is always shifting and changing, and there is no shortage of new MR. SIKANDER SINGH MAINI
knowledge one can acquire if they put their mind to it. SHIPPING MANAGER

How was your journey from a Documentation Executive to the Shipping Manager?
When I first joined Al-Rashed, I was just a fresher, having completed my education in business management, I had no
prior knowledge or understanding of how shipping worked. I joined as a documentation executive in the import
department and was shifted to the export department in a few weeks. I put my head down and just worked hard. I was
grateful for any job given to me by my seniors or management and just took this period of my career as a learning
phase. My efforts caught the eye of Mr Ravi Varrier, and in two years, I was promoted to export manager of our
NVOCC division. This period was probably the toughest in my career and maybe even in my life. But with the support
of management, my seniors, my colleagues and most importantly, my team, I was able to navigate through this phase.
My efforts in the export division paved the path for my promotion to the shipping manager, which was again a new
chapter in my life. It has been four years since, and support from everyone has been immense.

A mistake that you have made during the early days of your career and later it proved to be a stepping stone?
Earlier in my career, I thought that I could do everything myself, which was a definite mistake. I failed to take the
guidance of my seniors and failed to take support from my colleagues. It was an eye-opener and a realization that
asking for help is not a sign of weakness but a sign of humility, a trait that everyone should be proud to have.

According to you, what are the basic principles that help to lead a team successfully?
Three fundamental principals for me are to communicate, to support, and to have humility. To communicate, always
have an open line of communication with your team, which is the single most important principle. To support everyone,
especially your team, and they should know they can depend on you through the ups and downs. To have humility,
never act or treat your colleagues as if you know or are better. To sum it up as a manager, one should be able to
establish a channel with their team for open communication, be able to support your team even when the going gets
tough and have the humility to see and acknowledge your team’s effort.

What’s your strategy to sail through the COVID -19 pandemic phase?
This is a tough question; the pandemic we all are going through is so unprecedented that I do not think anyone had a
working strategy to cope with it. I believe it is imperative to focus on your staff’s safety, ensuring they have all the tools
available to protect themselves and their close ones during these days. Also, it is equally vital for us to be
understanding of the stress this pandemic has put on our staff’s mental health and try to be supportive of the efforts
they are putting in to cope.

One thing that you admire about Al Rashed?
What I admire about Al Rashed? It has to be loyalty; this company sticks with its employees through thick and thin.
This is a trait that is not generally associated with companies of Al Rashed’s size and influence but is something that
our company cherishes. One aspect where we can improve is being more open to change, whether it is changing our
working style or being more trusting of new technologies. Like everyone, we need to able to accept change and adapt
to it to ensure we keep up with today’s competition.

Any pearls of wisdom for those who aspire to be a part of shipping?
I am not sure how much wisdom I can pass on to the newer generation. Nonetheless, I will try . Be honest, be
fearless, have the drive to improve and work hard. If you follow these, I think one would be successful in all aspects of
their lives.

-Interviewed by: Naseema Khan