September 25, 2025
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Gaurav Agarwaal
For decades, careers had a rhythm. You started small, took the grunt work, and proved yourself step by step. That was the contract between ambition and opportunity. I remember mine. I still remember walking into my first job as a C++ developer. For me, it wasn’t just employment — it was the start of a […]
July 9, 2024
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Gaurav Agarwaal
We all endeavor to cultivate a high-performance work culture in a professional context. However, regardless of size, context, or culture, a high-performing team and work culture must be built on Innovation. Exceptional leaders use new ideas to establish a successful business in this respect. Therefore, inspire and think very innovatively to collect ideas, convert them […]
October 28, 2023
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Gaurav Agarwaal
As I stand on the threshold of a new chapter, my seven-year journey at Avanade is coming to an end. It’s a moment to reflect on the wisdom gained from successes and challenges that have shaped me as a leader. In October 2016, I embarked on a transformative shift, leaving behind a 13-year tenure at […]
November 15, 2021
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Gaurav Agarwaal
Dear Readers, The success pillars of organizations are their employees who dedicate themselves to achieving a company’s desired goals. Current employees are the future leaders who will lead the organizations. In my opinion, it is imperative to empower employees by developing their managerial and leadership skills to teach them a better leadership style. This process requires managers […]
October 5, 2021
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Gaurav Agarwaal
Dear Readers, My mentees often ask me which is a better option for them when they are trying to make a successful career, being a generalist or a specialist? This debate has been around for a very long time in the industry, and it confuses many people especially young software engineers as they develop skills for […]
September 25, 2021
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Gaurav Agarwaal
A piece of advice to my younger self – “Set all kinds of goals for what you want to achieve in life. No goal is too big with the right plan and vision.” In the past 25 years, I had my fair share of success and failure. I find this journey memorable as it made […]
September 24, 2021
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Gaurav Agarwaal
Dear Readers, On a daily basis, I attend uncountable meetings to create new solutions that benefit our organization and customers. For the past 25 years, I’ve been able to focus on starting my day with a good work plan. However, implementing that plan sometimes requires more effort, discussions, modifications, and whatnot. My approach while discussing […]
September 17, 2021
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Gaurav Agarwaal
You want to be A Thought Leader. “Thought leadership” is a hot topic in the corporate world right now, and it’s simple to understand why. When people turn to you for your knowledge and insight, you may establish yourself as a prominent industry expert and a well-known voice in your field. Thought leadership is expressing […]
September 11, 2021
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Gaurav Agarwaal
The coronavirus pandemic caused massive downturns in numerous industries across the world resulting in unemployment, pay cuts, furloughs, and layoffs. This has changed the idea of a career pivot from something a professional considers for a change, to the necessity for survival. Even employers have noticed and utilized the advantage of people who pivot their […]
September 1, 2021
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Gaurav Agarwaal
Dear Readers, In this new digital world, each industry is evolving at a very high pace. With this evolution, leaders are not only required to run but completely transform an organization. Sometimes, this evolution creates a crowded agenda. That’s where transformational leadership comes into play. Transformational leadership is a leadership style in which leaders encourage […]
August 24, 2021
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Gaurav Agarwaal
Dear Readers, A strong strategy provides a roadmap to businesses that helps them pursue the right direction to achieve their goals. But many times, leaders emphasize only defining strategy which results in implementation failures. It is imperative for leaders to understand that strategic planning solely cannot lead an organization towards success. That’s why implementation is more […]
July 30, 2021
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Gaurav Agarwaal
Dear Readers, It is not easy being a leader; it is a role that requires experience, patience, urgency, and impact at the same time to understand the root cause of the issues deeply. Leaders with a strong strategy can inspire employees to look ahead to the greater good and to work as a team with […]
July 20, 2021
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Gaurav Agarwaal
Dear Readers, Some of you reached out asking for my secret recipe for being a successful Tech Leader. As a Tech leader, my approach has been to provide my clients with the best advice and add value to their career, brand, and journey. In this week’s ‘Letter from My Desk‘, I share five strategies that helped […]
April 22, 2021
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Gaurav Agarwaal
During the last eight months, quite a few people in my professional network asked me “Why a senior Technology leader needs certification?”. Most of the time questions had 2 parts. a. Certification vs Hand-on experience? b. Why a Technology Leader needs to spend time in upskilling, re-skilling and certification? After a long gap of 5 years, I […]
January 10, 2021
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Gaurav Agarwaal
The pandemic has challenged organizations of all sizes and maturity. One of the common pattern across all organization during the pandemic has been a paradigm shift to Remote Working. The workplace today is most distributed and teams need to be more diverse and dynamic than ever before. While organizations are preparing for fundamental change in their […]
January 7, 2021
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Gaurav Agarwaal
In a conversation with one of my mentee Solution Architect, he asked me an interesting question. “What technical skills should I build to be a relevant Solution Architect in the coming future?” I began to answer the question with the relevant technical skills, like Site Resilient Engineering and Responsible AI, but then I took a pause. These […]
August 2, 2017
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Gaurav Agarwaal
Honored to be on Power Profiles 2017 for Technology #LPP2017 #TheWayIn https://members.linkedin.com/power-profiles-2017/sg/industry/technology I have been using LinkedIn as a platform for quite some time now and it’s been amazing journey of building professional network and learning from the Industry experts. During last 5+ years, I have used LinkedIn to drive better business results and provide thought […]
December 13, 2016
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Gaurav Agarwaal
Completed 60 days @ Avanade. It looks like I just transitioned last week from Microsoft. Journey so far has been enriching and full of new experiences and most importantly full of learnings from application of my experience at Microsoft in a new work culture. Key Learnings:
October 10, 2016
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Gaurav Agarwaal
From FY-04 to FY-17 has been a long journey for me at Microsoft. 10th Oct 2016 is my last day with Microsoft. It’s been an amazing journey with this great company and great friends, and a privilege to see the evolution and transformation of MSFT with 2 CEOs Steve and Satya. I would like to thank all […]