Leadership is about working with people towards a goal. In a business setting, this means directing team and colleagues with a strategy to meet the company’s needs. Unlike ordinary leaders, passionate leaders elevate productivity and ensure the employees are committed to the vision, mission, and values of the company. You will often find successful leaders don’t have a job; they have a passion and know how to get others rallied around the same passion.
Upholding the importance of passionate leadership, Abhimanyu Khanna (Chief Executive Officer at TAB Consulting) advises aspiring leaders, “Be passionate about what you do as results are never achieved in a day or two. You need to be focused and decide on what you want to do, post which you must put in all heart and soul in it. Always strive to be the best at what you do, your company, its growth will automatically fall in place.” Abhimanyu is a prime example of incorporating passion, perseverance, and mettle in leadership to become one of the most renowned leaders in the region.
College Dropout to Successful Entrepreneur
Abhimanyu did his schooling at Bluebells School International, Delhi and he is a college dropout. He had joined Bachelor of Business Studies, however, had to start working at the age of 17 in the call center industry. Working in a call center was a fascinating experience for Abhimanyu at that time and led him to give more preference to his professional career than studies as he always believed in practical knowledge over theory. However, while working there, he soon realized that this as well was not his cup of tea. “The world became too small for my fresh ideas,” he says.
Abhimanyu was always fascinated by employee engagement and happiness of employees—which at that time for a BPO was just a booze party or dinner at any nearly pub/restaurant. He applied in one of the renowned Team Building companies of the time, but did not get through as his experience in the call center was not valid outside the BPO industry. This is where he decided to call it quits and start with something on his own. Along with Priyanka Juneja, Abhimanyu started TAB Consulting as a partnership firm in 2008. Throughout his journey, Abhimanyu’s “Never Say Die” attitude has helped him become a better individual and gain new experiences with each passing day.
Comprehensive Employee Engagement Solutions
TAB Consulting was established with an aim to provide a complete Employee Engagement Solution. The company’s USP was Teambuilding Programs and Family Days until the pandemic hit the nation. From 2020, it has been in the Virtual Teambuilding domain and is currently amongst the leading companies in India with more than 600 virtual programs throughout the pandemic.
Since its inception, the factor that distinguishes TAB Consulting from its peers is that the company has never focused on profits. Customized service and personal touch have been the pillar behind its success. Till date, the clients get surprised when they get to know that the company does not have a sales team and has never done any cold calling to generate business. All its business has been “Word of Mouth” and retaining the existing clients.
Leading from the Front
Being the CEO, Abhimanyu currently handles the client service, operations, and creative team. Being a creative person himself, he likes working on designs, new concepts, activities, etc. “Operations has always been close to my heart as long back in 2008, there were just the two of us and had to manage everything ourselves,” he adds. Emphasizing client service and personal touch, he works closely with all teams, attends to the client queries, and tries to offer solutions rather than following a hierarchical chain.
This helps the TAB Consulting team to bring out their best as they understand the value of each work that is being done in the company rather than their own department. Abhimanyu believes in leading from the front and always stands with the team shoulder to shoulder. Talking about the challenges faced by the company, he asserts, “I would say there are no such challenges. Rather we are enjoying our journey and learning with each passing day. The regular challenges are a part of life, but what is important is whether you let them affect your performance or not.”
Change is the Key
The pandemic situation is tough for the employee engagement industry. However, Abhimanyu believes that change is the key. According to him, the “New Normal” is all about working innovative solutions as per the current times. In the time of uncertainty, TAB Consulting managed to adapt and create a timely solution. While the entire industry was rejuvenating and getting ready to get back to the office, the company was actually working to capture the market.
As a result, TAB Consulting delivered its first Virtual Engagement in April 2020. Since then, there has been no looking back and the company was able to capture most of the market which helped it to deliver more than 600 virtual engagements to various companies. Moreover, even when people were losing their jobs, the company hired new employees. Abhimanyu adds, “We have worked each day since April, irrespective of what the situation is so that we can keep ourselves busy with work.”
2020 was a game-changer for TAB Consulting as it brought the company in a leading position in the industry. Abhimanyu expects to keep on the good work and continue the growth in the years to come.
Seeking Positivity and Growth
In his journey running a successful enterprise, Abhimanyu has come across various experiences. Witnessing a lot of ebbs and flows in his journey himself, Abhimanyu has learned that nothing is permanent in life and one must try and be prepared to face the future. He has also discovered that time does not wait for anyone, thus one has to start working towards their dreams without wasting time. Abhimanyu also tries to take positive learnings from every individual he meets. From their journeys, he has learned to accept others’ mistakes and move forward. “There is no harm in accepting your mistakes and moving forward so that the same never gets repeated,” he adds. Mentioning the importance of working towards a fixed goal, Abhimanyu concludes, “The grass on the other side is never green. Rather you should focus on working towards making your grass become better.”
Abhimanyu’s Favorite Movies: “Rocket Singh-Salesman of the Year”, and “Guru”.
Read Full Issue: Business APAC’s Mettle CEOs, 2021
