Inderpal (Indy) Lehal studied International Business with a Year in Industry at Kent Business School, graduating in 2016. After securing a graduate role at Microsoft in tech sales, he recently joined Google as Technology Enterprise Lead. Here, he talks us through a typical day in the life of his homebased job at his ‘dream’ company..
What time I wake up really depends on the day ahead…
Working at a company like Google as an Enterprise Sales Lead, I have full autonomy of my diary so I can fit things around my own routine of client meetings. Google has always been aligned to innovation and entrepreneurship and that stems from their staff – we are given trust to get on with our roles and really be the CEOs of our own Book of Business.
Client meetings are a big part of my role…
This can vary from building strategic relationships to showcasing our solution and workshopping different ways for a client to see a return on any investment they are looking to make with me or my organisation. Given how varied the context of these meetings can be, they can last anywhere from 30 minutes to four hours, so getting mentally prepared in the morning is important for sure.
I have found throughout lockdown that I have a routine whereby…
I sit with a coffee and listen to a podcast, with the view to use titbits with clients, to keep things lively. Sometimes I’ll tune into something relevant – this morning I was listening to a podcast about e-commerce in the luxury sector and the impact that this is having on traditional retailers.
Other times, it can be completely irrelevant, like a comedy podcast or something about travel in Japan. Whatever I pick up, the anecdotes are ice breakers and cut through the intensity of long virtual meetings with people I haven’t yet met. These are especially prudent with international clients, my degree really helped me to understand the different ways various cultures do business, but I always strive to learn more.
My partner and I are big coffee fans…
Our deal is whoever isn’t in a meeting first has to make the first coffee and it has to be the proper stuff – we invested in a nice machine during the lockdown and it’s been one of the best things we ever bought… and our pasta machine of course!
Coffee finished…
I am ready to log on and start some calls. When I am dealing with a client, I spend the first section of the meeting listening. As a chatterbox, this isn’t always easy, but the training I received both at Microsoft (my former employer, a graduate job I secured after my KBS Year in Industry) and here at Google showed me how important the discovery part of offering tech solutions, is. After listening, I maintain good recall. When I start to showcase our products, I bring it back to what they said they needed and show them how our products and solutions can help with that.
At lunchtime…
My partner and I often align our lunch breaks and get out and have a walk. I live close to some beautiful villages in North Kent and leaving the screen for a bit of fresh air really gets us through the day. We can’t help but talk work, it’s actually a good way to chill me out as I get someone’s perspective who is honest and open.
Technology solutions are always changing and evolving…
…as such is their nature, so when I am not working with clients or in an internal meeting I try my best to always stay on the pulse. Luckily, at every organisation I have worked at the training has always been very thorough and there is an expectation that we give ourselves enough time to upskill.
Just this morning I was learning about Google Anthos, a way to provide customers with a Multi-Cloud approach to managing their infrastructure, removing the need for them to be locked into one vendor which could have significant technical and commercial implications. The nature of the technology industry is to change, adapt and evolve, it’s the one thing that really makes every day, different.
I do often struggle to tear myself away from the desk…
On a typical evening when I’ve shut down my screen, I have a lot of fun in the kitchen. I’ve always loved cooking. My partner, she loves to clean – that chills her out, but I am never afraid of cuisine. One of our favourite things to do is go out to eat at some fantastic restaurants and recreate the meal back at home. Anyone who knows me also knows my love of wine, so we often have a glass or two.
As a night owl, I don’t follow strict routines…
Strangely one thing that’s been consistent in lockdown other than the obvious Netflix shows, is watching a few TikTok videos before going to bed, given how intense the workday can be it’s a good way to chill out and then I’m out like a light!
Indy Lehal studied International Business with a Year in Industry and graduated in 2016.