It’s an undeniable fact that the success of a business lies in its workforce. Moreover, today’s contemporary organizations with dynamic, vivid, and customer-centric goals cannot survive with just skilled people. They need highly competent professionals with a leader-like mindset for not only sustenance but also success. If you are looking to turn your manpower into capable resources, Skill Whizz is your go-to destination.

Founded by Dr. Harvinder Soni, Skill Whizz specializes in developing human resources through training & development programs to enhance the competencies of employees working at various levels in an organization - from entry-level executives to senior-level professionals. The objective of the company is to enhance organizational performance and create a competitive edge in the market by upskilling the employees who are the most important resources of an organization.

Read the snippet below to know more about Harvinder’s entrepreneurial expedition.

Take us through the early industry experience that you bring to the table. What motivated you to venture into establishing a firm that provides training and development programs?

I have been associated with renowned Management Institutes as Professor during the past twenty-four years. I also success-fully handled leadership responsibilities as Head of the Department and Director. Over the years, I trained management students and conducted several Workshops and Management Development Programs for industry professionals to develop their professional skills and expertise in several areas. I also conducted Faculty Development Programs to enhance their expertise as educators and trainers.

During my role as a Professor and Director, I observed that while management students were able to get management degrees, their employability and professional skills needed to be honed if they were to be successful in the corporate world or profession. My classes were more like training sessions for the students and I gave them practical exposure through case - studies and real-life examples. Not only the concepts were taught, but I always made an extra effort to make the learning practice-based so that their skills could be developed. My experience and competence in the management field and the zeal to develop leadership, emotional Intelligence, behavioural, communication, and other vital skills in the employees motivated me to initiate my own venture, Skill Whizz.

What are the various roles & responsibilities that you currently shoulder at Skill Whizz? What are some of the most challenging aspects of your role as the founder & MD?

Since I am the Founder Director of Skill Whizz, I have to play a major role in strategy-building, prioritizing tasks, planning, building networks, leading and coordinating with my team. A lot of my time is devoted to designing and undertaking innovative training and development programs according to industry needs.

The most challenging aspects of my role are innovating novel ideas for designing engaging, interesting, and result-oriented training programs, managing time, and people management. I think that the only way to over-come challenges is to face them rather than avoid them. I feel that if you are true to your purpose, have a clear conscience, and believe in yourself, you can convert your challenges into opportunities. In my opinion, the key to success is doing things with passion and enjoying your work.

“Dr.harvinder’s vision is to deliver high-quality corporate solutions in training, research, and consultation for enhancing organizational effectiveness in the present turbulent and competitive environment”

What have been the most significant mile-stones that you have achieved so far in your professional journey?

The most rewarding milestone was, receiving the “Distinguished Professor in Higher Education” award from Scientific Research Association (SRA- Global Awards, 2021). Recently, I also attained the prestigious IIM Indore Executive Alumni Status. Five Ph.D.’s have been awarded under my supervision and my research papers have been published in several National and International Journals. I have presented Research Papers at many National and International Conferences. I have also authored two books- Performance Management and Staff Turnover Intention of Employees in Chain & Non- Chain Hotels of Udaipur District. I have been invited as a Keynote Speaker and Session Chair in International/ Eurasian/ World Conferences organized by prestigious International Institutions of Europe, Germany, Poland, Ethiopia, and Ukraine. I have conducted several training and development pro-grams during the past years for professionals in varied fields ranging from hotel industry professionals, middle and senior-level industry professionals, to educators, new recruits, job-seekers, doctors, dentists, engineers, and college students. During the past two years impacted by COVID-19, I was invited as an Expert Speaker in Webinars organized by many prestigious organizations.

What is your guiding leadership philosophy?

I believe in leading by example. A leader should be a role model for his team and should exemplify through his/her own behaviour and actions. I also internalize with the Level 5 leadership concept of Jim Collins developed in his book “Good to Great” and based on a research con-ducted on 1435 Fortune 500 companies. Only 11 companies out of these good companies could fit into the criteria of great companies. The leaders of these companies were a paradoxical blend of fierce professional will and personal humility. I believe that these two qualities are very important for a leader.

Dr. Harvinder Soni, Founder & MD, Skill Whizzdr

Wise Words: My first and foremost advice to young women and girls aspiring to become leaders and entrepreneurs is– Believe in yourself and have passion for whatever goals you set for yourself. In this context, I would like to quote Winston Churchill- “Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts”.