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Scaling a Business Without Compromising On WellBeing w/ Hema Bakhshi | ReImagine
Hema Bakhshi
ReImagine
Episode 167 In LAB #45, Mona Ahluwalia from The BAE HQ, welcomes Hema Bakhshi, Leadership Coach & Founder of ReImagine
In this podcast episode, leadership coach Hema Bakhshi discusses the challenges founders face when scaling their businesses, emphasising the importance of personal mastery, leadership skills, and creating a positive company culture.
Show Notes
00:00 - Intro
00:21 - Introduction of Hema Bakshi and her consultancy work.
01:11 - Discussion on common challenges faced by early-stage founders.
02:37 - Challenges related to resources, network, and isolation.
03:55 - The importance of managing pressure and finding headspace.
04:23 - Introduction to personal mastery and its significance.
07:01 - Techniques and mindset shifts for founders.
09:18 - Importance of clear vision and adaptability in growth.
11:03 - Viewing your business objectively and strategically.
11:59 - How founders can assess their leadership strengths.
13:12 - The role of feedback and profiling tools.
15:28 - Importance of self-reflection and working with a coach.
16:43 - Key leadership capabilities for scaling teams.
18:16 - Relinquishing control and leading leaders.
19:36 - Identifying and nurturing leadership potential.
22:22 - Importance of clarity and structured roles.
23:42 - How to maintain and evolve company culture.
24:08 - Making company culture explicit and intentional.
25:23 - Embedding values into organisational processes.
27:07 - Evolution of leadership post-COVID and in the future.
29:04 - Embracing human qualities in a tech-driven world.
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Hema Bakhshi: 0:00
I think one of the biggest challenges is the environments that we create and what we normalise. So there is a constant pull between that pace and that need for speed, with being able to find the time and headspace to be able to ground and connect and be very clear on where you're trying to get to.
Mona Ahluwalia: 0:21
Today, we're speaking to leadership coach Hema Bakhshi. Through her consultancy, reimagine, Hema is committed to helping founders through the pressure of scaling a business without compromising their mind, body and soul. She does this by tackling three key areas to drive performance and success. Developing personal mastery, leadership skills and culture. We dig into these in detail in our conversation, along with practical tips on how founders can increase their self-awareness and capitalize on their strengths whilst getting comfortable with relinquishing control and nurturing leadership potential in their teams. I'm Mona, and it's a pleasure to be hosting this podcast on behalf of the BAE HQ, powered by HSBC Innovation Banking. Hey, Hema, really, really nice to speak to you today and dive into all things leadership, growth, mindset.
Mona Ahluwalia: 1:11
I'm really excited for this conversation, so I guess maybe we can start with opening on some of the common challenges, highlighting some of those that you've seen in early stage founders facing when it comes to tackling leadership and growth.
Hema Bakhshi: 1:25
Yeah, I think the way I would describe probably the biggest challenge I think that entrepreneurs and especially early stage founders face is that I think we work in a world where busyness and the hustle and bustle is almost normalized and expected and I think some of the critical aspects to developing a successful business and to be able to scale and grow your company requires things such as leadership skills and critical thinking and at times when we are under pressure, those are the things that are harder to be able to center on. So I think one of the biggest challenges is the environments that we create and what we normalise. So there is a constant pull between that pace and that need for speed, with being able to find the time and head space to be able to ground and connect and be very clear on where you're trying to get to. So I think, overarching, that is one of the biggest challenges I see people face generally and that doesn't go away, that tends to stay with them throughout their journey. It just changes the culture and the environment they're in changes, but that, that that need and that pressure, I think remains.
Hema Bakhshi: 2:35
I think early stage founders face a lot of challenges. Actually, when I think more deeply about it. You know it comes from having a brilliant idea or a product or a service and they are then having to take that idea and they're on a journey where they have limited resources, so resources don't come freely.
Hema Bakhshi: 2:55
They're having to leverage a network and sometimes, especially depending on your idea, your network is still relatively young and you might need to build it or develop it. So being able to develop and build the right network is really key. Money is always an issue, so, especially before you've got to the stage of funding, having to be able to do all of this stuff with limited cash is really difficult.
Hema Bakhshi: 3:18
aving idea where you know the whole journey is quite all-consuming, I think, and you also don't have a peer network. So the other thing I think is quite all-consuming, I think, and you also don't have a peer network. So the other thing I think is quite difficult. It's not like you don't have a peer network. It's more difficult to have the team around you. So I think what people can often feel is that they're building something. You can feel like you're building it in isolation, in a black hole, and you don't have the same support systems that you typically have if you're inside a business or an organization and I think all of those things create the perfect storm for to feel that pressure, to feel you know, to feel that pace and for that to have adverse effects.
Hema Bakhshi: 3:55
So I think the biggest challenge is being able to manage that really effectively, whilst also creating the time and headspace which I think needs to be done really consciously.
Mona Ahluwalia: 4:04
For sure, and that leads me very nicely onto the first topic I really wanted to delve into with those where you've spoken quite a bit about personal mastery and priming your mind for success. So personal mastery isn't something that I like, a term that I'm super familiar with, so, like, what does that actually mean?
Hema Bakhshi: 4:23
So to me personal mastery. I think it's about two things. So the way I would describe it is about developing a really deep understanding of yourself. Um, so, firstly, thinking about things like your beliefs, or being able to understand. You know, we are comprised of lots of things. You know, it's not just our technical skills, it's not just our ideas. There are so many things that are informed the way that we operate as people. So, to give you an example of that, it could be things such as your beliefs that you have. It could be some of the limiting beliefs that you have. We all have them. It could be to do with your values.
Hema Bakhshi: 5:02
Values are a really important thing. They are core elements that drive your behavior. It's almost like a north star compass that helps to dictate. Um, you don't even know what's happening half the time, but how you behave, what you enjoy, what you don't enjoy, what sits well, what doesn't sit well, and a lot of the time, people don't extract or explore what those values are to them and can find themselves feeling a bit at odds with the situation but not understanding why. So it's things like your values, it's like your lived experiences.
Hema Bakhshi: 5:31
You know everyone's come. You know everyone comes with history, a world view, um, their own culture, their own background, and all of that creates a really interesting perspective on how you see a situation, how you see your, the world around you, how you, how you tackle a challenge, how you frame a solution. It's all informed by some of these things that often people don't tend to look at. So, again, whether it's your biases, whether it's your needs, whether it's your I don't know your strengths and your skills. There are a lot of the stuff that's underneath the surface, and once you start to explore them, they can provide really good insight into how you can excel at what you're doing and also knowing where your limitations are.
Hema Bakhshi: 6:15
So, for me, personal mastery is A about really having a deep understanding of yourself, a real, true connection to yourself, and there are ways that you could build that. And then the second part for me is also utilizing your brain to prime for success, because I think our mind is a really, really powerful thing, so there are ways that you can use techniques. Once you see that there are techniques that you can use to start to prime your mind for success, whether that be through visualization and activating, like what they call the reticular activating system, which helps you to start to spot opportunities, but how your mind works and how you capitalize your mind, if you know what I mean, is really important. But you can only do that truly when you understand yourself fully.
Mona Ahluwalia: 6:59
Really interesting.
Mona Ahluwalia: 7:01
Let's dig into that. Like unlocking your mind and capitalizing on your thing, like what are some of the essential mind shifts, mindset shifts and techniques that founders need to get comfortable with?
Hema Bakhshi: 7:15
Yeah, so I think there are. When it comes to mindset shifts, there's a couple of things. So I think the one that I think is probably underpins everything is developing a real sense of self-awareness. And you can cultivate some of that through various tools. You know there's different ways you can do that. But having that self-awareness means that suddenly you, suddenly you can kind of think very differently. You know, one of the differentiators, they say, between a successful business and a founder that will be successful is not just the product, it's not the service, it's not necessarily the people, it's their ability to think strategically and their ability to lead. And underpinning some of that is how you respond to a situation. So cultivating that self-awareness understanding your own emotions, understanding your own thoughts, understanding your own behaviors and actually how those three are really deeply interconnected is really powerful. When you can get to grips with that and it's something that you can, everyone can do and learn and practice. It's like a muscle the more that you do it, the more that you practice. Um, but I think, in terms of mindset shift, is that really understanding that self-awareness is really really critical. And then, once you are developing that, there are lots of other things. So, thinking about sort of shifts that founded mindset shifts, I think it's, once you're disconnected from you create a disconnect between your business and yourself and you're able to see your business objectively. Between your business and yourself and you'll be able to see your business objectively, it creates a very different relationship with how you strive for success for your organization. So I think you start to see things more objectively, so you start to be able to and maybe with help, be able to notice like where are the gaps? So how do you start to plug the gaps in terms of your your skill set and operationally, if you're growing a company, where are the gaps that you start to plug, the gaps in terms of your skill set and operationally, if you're growing a company, where are the gaps that you need to plug? Where are your strengths, where are your weaknesses, where are your opportunities? Being able to critically assess that I think it's really important for success.
Hema Bakhshi: 9:18
I think, in terms of other mindset shifts, it's about creating the right structure, because I think when it's your idea initially, people are very wedded. I see that a lot. You're really wedded to your idea and often knowing when you can step back from the idea when the idea needs to evolve. I think is such a big thing. But, as that happens, how do you set up the right structures in place to to help your company develop? That's really, really important.
Hema Bakhshi: 9:41
And I think another thing is having a really clear vision, a vision that is very you know, informed, so you're knowing where you're trying to get to, why you're trying to do it, what does that mean for you, your team, what does that mean for your end customer and how is that going to evolve? What impact is it having? What value are you creating? So having that really clear is important. Again, in a world where we are really busy running around trying to keep up, trying to keep pace, some of this stuff, I think, can get left behind, and yet it's critical to see how your company evolves. So that piece around clear vision, um is really important. And then also, I think, as your company changes, needs will change, so you will face the same kind of pressures, but they will be in different, they will manifest very differently at different stages of growth. So, very early on, to the point that you secure funding, to the point you want to sell, all of those environments are very different, from who's involved to the pressures around you, to the resources you have or you don't have, how you need to influence what you need to get your hands dirty with. So it's really interesting. So I think thinking about how do you recognize your needs and how do you structure them differently at different stages of growth is key.
Hema Bakhshi: 11:03
And I think, looking at your business as a business, you know so. I think I struggled with this personally. Actually, when I first started working for myself, I just felt, because it was just me, I didn't really feel I had a business. I just thought I was working and I was working. But when I started to think very differently and create a step back because I work with other people where we look at every angle of their business, from their commercial models to their pricing, to their marketing, and you turn that lens on yourself, suddenly you start to expose areas that actually could do with a lot of help, and it's then, I think, when you can step back, you create such a fundamental shift in how you operate. I think so. On one hand, what I'm saying is there is something really powerful about being deeply connected, but also being able to be connected but detached at the same time when it comes to your own growing, your own company yeah, really good advice on the self-awareness piece.
Mona Ahluwalia: 11:59
That's really interesting. How can founders like assess their current leadership strengths and areas of improvement? How would you suggest they can look inwards realistically?
Hema Bakhshi: 12:09
So I think there's a few things that founders can do to start to assess their own kind of leadership strength. So I think the first thing I would say is feedback is a really great way to do that. So, you know, it's not often well, it depends on who you are actually but asking for feedback in a really rounded way, in a very constructive way, can be powerful, because I think we all have blind spots and anyone around you will be able to give you a perspective that you just don't have. And I think that is not a point of weakness, it's a real strength to be able to ask for that so you get real rounded view and you can do that with customers, let alone peers, let alone prospective clients. Actually getting that um 360 view just gives you more data to look at. How can you sort of like assess what you're doing and how you're doing it, and it's all data. I think that's the other thing. It's all just information points for you to be able to take in. So I think feedback is a really big thing.
Hema Bakhshi: 13:12
I think, in terms of tools, there are lots of um, there are lots of sort of profiling tools that are out there, and I would say some of them are really good and some of them are less good. You know they're not as good, and I think what the differentiator needs to be. If you're looking at using a profiling tool to get an insight into yourself and your own personality and your own skills and attributes, it's important that you use a tool that is backed scientifically, so based on certain models that are psychologically proven. So there's a couple of models like big five or Pexico, where they look at things like traits such as like extroversion, open-mindedness, that kind of thing, humility and honesty, depending on the model, and you can start to go through some of those tools and look at how you start to get feel for what you are. You know where your strengths are, where your areas of growth could be, and also these tools sometimes give you a view that where some of those strengths are in play, they can also become maladaptive and actually can be counter. They can be counterproductive at times, especially under pressure. So there are tools that can be used. They're not the sort of I think there's. You need to take the things that are free on the internet with a pinch of salt, but they exist but also probably need interpretation. So it's worth like with somebody who's trained in being able to do that. So there are some tools that I'd recommend.
Hema Bakhshi: 14:44
Um, the other thing I would say in terms of getting a better idea of yourself is working with a qualified coach. So I think, if you're working with a coach that is qualified and trained, they should be adept at being able to help you extract, you know, not just personality. They'll be looking, they'll be able to look at your motivation, they'll be able to help you to explore your skill. Looking at your worldview, looking at your context, you're starting to identify those limiting beliefs which are really getting in the way. So working with a good coach, I think, can help you develop that self-awareness, help you develop that sort of like that dig deep into that personal growth journey, um, and I think it's super powerful to be able to do that, um.
Hema Bakhshi: 15:28
And then I think the final thing is there's something about self-reflection. I think there's a lot of research out there that shows using the power of journaling can give you some sort of insight around you know, like, your own strengths and what's coming up for you, and using that effectively. So I think there are ways to do it. I don't think there's an easy answer, because I think, as people, we're really complex. You know we're really complicated, we're not simple, we're through, but there are things that you can do to start to get that information. Then, once you have that information, you have a choice to look at what do you use, what do you let go of or what do you focus on?
Amardeep Parmar: 16:06
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Mona Ahluwalia: 16:43
So if you had to pick, like, maybe two or three of the key leadership capabilities that you think founders should focus on as they transition from leading a very small, close-knit team to a team that's a little bit larger and, you know, guess, releasing some of that control, what would you? What would you suggest?
Hema Bakhshi: 17:02
So I think that self-awareness is key no matter what. So I think that would be something to definitely, wherever you are, whatever journey or walks of life, I think would really help. I think there is something around um being able to build really strong, effective relationships and within that, I think forms part of really effective communication, and other things like active listening. There is something about being able to be very sensitive to your context and then being able to respond really accordingly, so you can see how those two go hand in hand. So not just having the awareness, but being able to see the lay of the land differently, being able to therefore communicate and influence, I think are really really important. And then I think there is something about critical thinking. I think it's really hard sometimes when you're inside a business or you're inside any situation actually doesn't even have to be work oriented, that all you can see is what you can see around you and being able to create that disconnect, step back and assess, through very different lenses and different perspectives, the viability of an idea or a solution or a product, a powerpoint presentation, whatever it might be being able to do that is really important.
Hema Bakhshi: 18:16
And I think the biggest difference is when you're in a small company. Your hands are dirty and you're responsible for everything. You know. You're getting involved with everything from evaluating ideas to launching your own BP, to figuring out route to market, to selling customer acquisition, finding money. Like. You're so involved, you're so busy. It's turning your hands of everything. And the minute your company starts to shift into a larger organization, I think everything starts to shift. So you suddenly have a bigger team, you start to grow, you're having to relinquish control, you're having to be able to allow other people to have autonomy but still be able to set clear direction, and that can be a real challenge, especially if it's your baby. So finding ways to be able to again clearly communicate, clearly influence, critically think, I think, become really, really important. And the way that you navigate those larger businesses, they become different because you're you're effectively leading, you know you're leading. You're often leading leaders, which is is another ballgame in itself.
Mona Ahluwalia: 19:23
Yeah, and expanding on that and kind of relinquishing control and leading leaders. How can founders identify and nurture leadership potential within their teams to ensure that the business can grow without being like overly reliant on a single leader?
Hema Bakhshi: 19:36
I think there's quite a few things that founders can do. So I think there is something about being really clear about what people's roles and responsibilities are. That's the first thing. So I think you think also, going from a smaller company to a bigger company, from going to wearing multiple hats to all of a sudden having very clear responsibility or much more targeted focus I think it's really important to be very crystal clear about what people are accountable for, what their, what are their roles, what their responsibilities, what skills do they need, what attributes do they need and what does success look like? So often and I mean even in very large organisations we hire people without giving some of that job description and some of that job design. It's like the respect it deserves, and what ends up happening is you hire people that might not be quite right for the role that is really needed. So I think there is something about having real clarity around that. That's really important. Secondly, there is something about assessing.
Hema Bakhshi: 20:47
So, when it comes to recruitment, it's one of the biggest things. You know, it's one of the biggest pain points for companies, whether they are small or large. Hiring the right people is so key because if you get it wrong, it costs the business, it costs, it's painful. You know the risk, not just financially or time wise, but or even reputationally. It's a big, it's a big challenge. So making sure you it's so important to make sure you've got the right guidance around. How do you assess properly? So how do you assess from a competency based perspective? Are you clear on what those competencies are? How do you interview for them? Because people often tend to look at past experience and because someone's done something in a job before, that must mean, oh, they can do it, but that doesn't necessarily mean they can do it well. So past performance, um, or like history, does not necessarily predict future performance, if that makes sense. So I think it's a trap that people fall into.
Hema Bakhshi: 21:40
So having really clear, robust ways of recruiting people that are objective and not ridden with bias, where you're not hiring like for life or you're not hiring a friend because you trust them only, is really, really important. Um, and often actually, when, when you are hiring for those skills gaps, those people will think differently and challenge you differently, and it feels uncomfortable a lot of the time and sometimes where you find that discomfort is a really good signal to explore it, because it might be that that's the thing that you need to help move you forward. So I think it's roles and responsibilities. I think it's hiring effectively. I think it's then being able to manage performance well. So, again, it's roles and responsibilities. I think it's hiring effectively. I think it's then being able to manage performance well. So, again, it's one of those things that kind of get left behind.
Hema Bakhshi: 22:22
But actually how will somebody know that they're doing a good job if we don't identify what good looks like? So it's about being really clear and it doesn't have to be a laborious, you know, like once a year process that doesn't really mean anything. I don't believe in those. I think they're much more effective ways of developing people's growth and the way that they perform.
Hema Bakhshi: 22:44
But how do you create clarity about what good looks like? How do you create the measures of success and how to provide, suppose, the right systems to support people? You know, that's the other thing. It's all well and good having whether it's objectives or goals, KPIs, but what are the support measures that you're putting in place to help people get there. I think that's really, really critical. So, yeah, knowing what you're looking for, being able to hire for that, being able to manage that, being able to pay attention to performance. And then, I think, finally, is setting up the right environment, the right culture, and that's what. I think that's quite critical because I, for me, that's something that needs to be done consciously and you can create the right, and when you do, when you create the right environment, I think people are able to thrive. But if the culture is at odds, what you're asking and you're asking for something and they're not enabling it, you never reach the optimal levels of success.
Hema Bakhshi: 23:42
I think that you can reach.
Mona Ahluwalia: 23:44
Yeah, and diving into that a little bit, um keen to hear your thoughts on, like, how founders can make sure that their company culture does evolve positively, especially as new people join the team. I think we can be so focused on growth and then, before you know it, the culture has completely shifted without realizing, and then trying to like bring back what it was, maybe when it was a very small business, but you can never, you know, bring that back because the company's changed.
Hema Bakhshi: 24:08
I think the critical thing is, especially early stage is to make your culture really explicit. So give it a moment where you're thinking about what kind of culture do you want to create? Because I think culture can either just it can be consciously created or it can just like just happen. And when it just happens, especially in environments where people are under pressure, all kinds of funny things can happen. You know, when people are under pressure, people behave in quite odd ways at times.
Hema Bakhshi: 24:39
So, actually taking time to think about what is the business that you want to create? What do you want people to feel like when they're at work? What are the values of the organization? And I also mean not just values that you put on the wall and then everybody can reel off four or five words. But actually, what do those values mean? How do they show up in different touch points of your organization? Yeah, how are they embedded? Are they embedded in the way that you hire people? Do you align people and look at their values? Is there some alignment there? Is there room to look at how those values show up in your working processes or your decision making or the way that you manage and perform or reward people? That's really important.
Hema Bakhshi: 25:23
Um, and also it's not just having those values but it's also making sure people understand. What does that mean behaviorally? Because I think, again, you can have a statement or a value on the wall, but when it translates into you know behaviorally, this is what we stand for and this is what we don't tolerate, that becomes really powerful. Because what happens then is you're making it very clear as a founder about the business that you want to create and what you want that to look and feel like, and you're allowing other people to say, yeah, I'm on board with that and I. That really resonates with me. And you're also allowing people to say do you know? You know what? That doesn't sit with me and I can't work here. So it's almost creating an opportunity for people to deselect. But unless you're really clear, you don't have that opportunity to kind of shape it.
Hema Bakhshi: 26:10
So I think, making it really explicit, I think also watching as that evolves. I think I've done work with founders where their culture has evolved, but we've always gone back to look at the journey that the business has been on. It always takes a story. So looking at what that story looks like, looking at how you can make those, embed some of that into your processes, whether it's decision-making, recruitment, reward management, management and then also making sure that vision and mission, whilst it's also clear, it also translates very clearly into people's own functions or roles and responsibilities. Because I think then you've got people working together towards a North Star and they know the part that they have to play, and that becomes really important because I think emotionally people are hooked in. You know you've got them. You've got, like, both their head and their heart inside or attached to where you're trying to get to, which gives you a much better chance of success.
Mona Ahluwalia: 27:07
Really, really good advice. Thank you so much, Hema. Last question to close. I feel like the way people are leading has really evolved in the last few years, maybe due to Covid, but I'm intrigued to hear your insight if you've noticed this too. And how do you see leadership continuing to evolve in the future, especially in the startup ecosystem, and what should founders be going to prepare?
Hema Bakhshi: 27:31
So I think you're right, leadership has evolved, especially post-COVID. You know, you see how organizations had to respond to the environment and we've had to move to remote teams or hybrid working much more, even though there are some places where they are wanting to go back to the office for and sometimes good reason, and I can understand. I think for me, when I take a step back and I look at this, I sort of feel our nature of work is really evolving. You know, I spent a lot of time focused purely exploring and researching the future of work and you look at every single industrial revolution. You know every single revolution and the way technology has evolved. It means that work also changes. You know, from farms to factories, to offices, to actually working remotely, and at every single touch point, people are engaging with work differently. Now that is continuing. And not only is it continuing, I think, when we're looking at things like not just technology but AI and generative AI and some of those things that we're seeing, they are literally completely transforming entire industries and making some roles redundant, um, and it's meaning that people are having to learn, unlearn and relearn, have to really assess where they put their, how humans create value, and I can't help but feel in the same way that technology is having a massive is on a massive trajectory. It's on a massive change curve.
Hema Bakhshi: 29:04
I think us, as people also need a huge upgrade. So I think there is real room in our organisations at the moment and I'm starting to see that actually where we can start to really look at what does it mean to be human? What are the things that people can do better than any technology can do right now? So we there are things that we have at our disposal, our disposal, whether it's insight, perspective, intuition, energy, all of those things that can really transform how we operate. So being able to dig into that, understand that better, blend that into the way that we operate, whether it's at work or at home or wherever, I think is where our success will lie.
Hema Bakhshi: 29:46
So I think my I guess my final words would be how do we focus on being human and all the things that make us really unique, and how do we almost really dig into the way that our brains work, the way that our minds work, way that our minds work, the way that we can align, you know, like our mind and body and everything, to kind of create a different outcome. I think when you start to do that, you start to see the competitive edge I think we can have as people. And I think it's going to be needed more now than ever before, because I think that change is just going to continue happening at pace. So that's what I think we should be looking at.
Mona Ahluwalia: 30:22
Yeah, really, really interesting.
Mona Ahluwalia: 30:24
You're so right, AI is changing the game and where it might replace like knowledge, what it can't replace is like that human touch and like the emotional intelligence and the empathy and, you know, taking people on a journey and and all of that golden dust that we are as humans. I really hope AI doesn't replace that.
Hema Bakhshi: 30:42
I think there's room for it just yet. So, yeah, I think I think it's just, I think it's just important, very passionate about that, because I think you know like there's ways that we could be using technology to like transform things for the better, but if we're not conscious about it, we just sort of are become the product of a technological advancement, rather than thinking about how we design and create our own experience and what value we create, and I think there's a risk that we can allow that to happen.
Mona Ahluwalia: 31:13
Thank you really, really interesting insights. Loads of gems in there. I'll definitely be re-listening to this conversation and taking notes. Um. So thank you. Um. I've got a few um rapid fire questions for you. First question is what who are three British Asians um at the moment who are doing amazing work?
Hema Bakhshi: 31:33
Okay, so I would say the first person I would like to mention would be um Af Malhotra. So he runs a company called Diversity Economics institute and he's a master council, which I'm part of, of global leaders focusing on diversity and the other thing other part of his business and one is almost kind of a big global think tank to shift the, I guess, the discourse on diversity, equity and inclusion and belonging. But the other part of this business is actually using AI to amass, I guess, data in the space in a way that it can be accessible, but also much more broad, to change the way, to create an insight driven approach to, I guess, diversity and inclusion. And I think it's really interesting what they're doing. I think that is we're looking at, you know, exploring the idea of regulation, in the same way that perhaps um pay has recently been. You know, we would have to report the gender pay gap. So I think there's some really interesting stuff looking around inclusivity and changing the world in that way.
Hema Bakhshi: 32:44
Um, that's number one. Uh, the second one would be so my he was actually my husband, but I can still call him out, I think. So, my husband, Omar Bakhsh i. He runs a company called goya design, helping organizations or founders to kind of really accelerate innovation and invention. So, using their own design process, they've created a product, they've got pattern and it's all about cycling safely, so trying to make the world a bit greener and looking at how we can create safer routes for cyclists. And I think it's been amazing because I've watched the idea talking about founders on early stage. I've seen the idea from it being an idea in COVID to being something that is a physical product that people are buying. They're needing investment, but I can see the reason why behind it and the impact it could have. So that, I think, is an amazing thing and a good example of using your own process and that you believe in to create something of value in the world.
Hema Bakhshi: 33:41
And the third person is Maya Raichoora, who runs, she's co-founder of, a company called Remap and I just love watching her. At the moment you can find her on LinkedIn but she focuses on um visualization. So bringing that idea of visualization and I know we touched on it earlier, but just taking just a visualization to help prime performance um and bringing that to the masses. And she frames that as around mental fitness and I I love the way that she's doing that. I think it's it's a really sort of simple but really, really, really powerful um execution of that and it very much aligns to like my idea about using your whole, your whole mind. So those three people, I think would be good to look at.
Mona Ahluwalia: 34:24
Cool.
Mona Ahluwalia: 34:24
Thank you, three very different people there and I think actually I. I follow Maya on on LinkedIn and it's always just such a good reminder when I'm, like, you know, in that motion I'm like scrolling through LinkedIn and I read her post, it like almost just like resets you completely.
Hema Bakhshi: 34:40
Yeah, she's like stop scrolling, struggling.
Mona Ahluwalia: 34:42
Yeah, yeah, exactly, I love that. And where can people find you, Hema?
Hema Bakhshi: 34:47
You can find me on LinkedIn and, if you can also look, my website is www. reimaginehr. co. uk, so either one of those routes, you can find me.
Mona Ahluwalia: 35:00
Perfect, cool.
Mona Ahluwalia: 35:02
Thank you so much much. Yeah, really great conversation.
Amardeep Parmar: 35:04
Thank you thank you for watching.
Amardeep Parmar: 35:07
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