(US & Canada) | Leaders Don’t Need to Be in Control of Everything — Sensata Technologies Sr Director for GSO, Data and IT Shared Services

Yogesh Bhardwaj, Senior Director of GSO, Data, and IT Shared Services at Sensata Technologies, speaks with leadership coach and keynote speaker Cory Carlson in a video interview about setting clear organizational goals, taking time off responsibly, and managing a global leadership role.

Sensata Technologies is a global leader in sensing, electrical protection, and power management. It offers end-to-end solutions for electrification, industrial, aftermarket, and air mobility applications.

When it comes to the matrix of building relationships with teams and challenging them to take responsibility, Bhardwaj states that an organization needs to do both. He gives credit to Sensata Technologies for setting clear goals through executive leadership, CEO, and business leader at the beginning of a year.

The defined goals, which are tied to a bigger purpose, then tickle down to every single level, says Bhardwaj. He suggests that the organization should try to design the organizational goals objectively whenever it can.

Unlike subjective goals, continues Bhardwaj, objective goals and KPIs are measurable and can be reviewed, and that way, a leader can be on the same page with employees and the organization.

Moving forward, Bhardwaj discusses that it is also critical to set some KPIs in personal life, such as taking time off to explore the world. This not only saves from burnout but also aids in holistic development. He adds that 50 years down the line, it will all boil down to experiences, stories, and memories, not the title or the company one has worked in.

When asked about his stance on employees taking PTO, Bhardwaj affirms that he supports the idea of taking paid time off and encourages it. However, he prefers to know about the timing of the PTO beforehand, keeping organizational betterment in mind.

The tricky part, according to Bhardwaj, is when someone takes flexible time off because then the organization remains uncertain about how much time is being taken off. He advocates taking reasonable time off and adding a variety of experiences.

Further, Bhardwaj opines that he looks for the value one adds to the organization and whether or not they are availing of their PTOs. If someone adds no value and does not take a PTO, the person is not going forward regardless of what he does.

Commenting on managing a global leadership role, Bhardwaj maintains that it is critical to not make oneself the bottleneck of things and empower the teams and organization to make decisions. As long as leaders have the right checks and balances on those making decisions, they do not need to be in the system 24/7.

Especially while working in different time zones, leaders will be called to take care of something in a different time zone. This requires them to establish ground rules and have the right tools to empower the team.

Bhardwaj shares that, as a global leader, he does not want to be a part of each call or email unless it impacts his financials. He would also be available when someone needs him to make a decision, and if something is not working right and could impact the business, he asks to be updated beforehand.

Apart from that, Bhardwaj believes that a leader must trust that people are doing their jobs right. He says that a leader does not need to be in control of everything and must differentiate the noise from what is important.

In conclusion, Bhardwaj states that leaders must unbundle the vision and purpose of the organization. It is imperative to be true to oneself, honest to the team, transparent, and accepting not knowing all answers, he says.

CDO Magazine appreciates Yogesh Bhardwaj for sharing his leadership insights with our global community.