March 02 2021 at 09:00PM
March Volunteer Spotlight: Prabhu
For a quick introduction, what is your elevator pitch for yourself?
Bay-Area is the hub for technology innovation, and we have amazing talents here. As a leader, my goal is to be a catalyst to multiply the impact. I believe leadership & management is the right mix of Art and Science with a focus on people who make it possible. PMI provides an amazing platform to achieve this, so what excuse do we have. Just go do it!!!
“Give me 100 men (people) of steel will and I will change the world" - Vivekananda.
Who is Prabhu at home and/or outside of professional space? What do you do for fun?
FAMILY, MOVIES, BOOKS. I love my family, and I love nature. I make sure to maximize my fun by spending time with my family outdoors. I am also an introvert. I get energy by spending some time alone reading books and watching movies.
When did you start volunteering with the chapter, and most importantly, why did you join PMI-SFBAC?
I started volunteering at SFBAC back in October 2018. Like many other immigrants, I came to this country with lots of hope and dreams; but also with broken English and $100 in my valette. My journey has been nothing but amazing. I wouldn’t be where I am today if this country and the people here didn’t open their doors and the opportunities. I truly and honestly felt I need to give back to the community. When the opportunity to lead the Mentoring team knocked on my door, I made sure to grab it.
What were your first impressions of the chapter and its volunteers?
BIG HEART! Most of our volunteers are talented and passionate about what they do. However, what amazed me is their big heart. Many of them are working moms, single parents, senior leaders, or aspiring entrepreneurs and already have a punishing schedule between work and home. Yet, they somehow always find time to volunteer. We are one of the largest Chapters because of our volunteers.
What was the biggest challenge you faced as a volunteer for PMI-SFBAC? How did you conquer it?
Finding TIME to volunteer. The position I hold at my day job is intense and demands long hours with great focus. By the end of the day/week, you are exhausted. Leading a volunteering organization means you multiply the challenges you face at ‘For Profit’ orgs, but you are not getting paid to deal with the issues. The deep SENSE OF PURPOSE” I had in me helped me to overcome the challenges.
Now that you be the new CEO of the chapter, what are you most looking forward to?
DRIVE IMPACT! As a leader myself in one of the leading tech giants, I can categorically say the need of the business today is much different than what traditional project management had to offer. The fact many of the Program Management roles go unfilled every year in my company while thousands of people are still looking for a job clearly demonstrates the widening gap. I intend to close this by growing and connecting our talents with the companies who need them. I would be happy to share our strategy in the coming months through the newsletter.
Bonus Q: What is your secret or super Project Management power? Why?
LEARN, ADAPT, TRANSFORM! We all need to change our jobs, roles many times in our life. When I go into a new job/role, I make sure to do 3 things:
1. Learn (what they do, how they do, and why they do it)
2. Adapt
3. Transform through innovation
