Surya Saini started his career as a Salesforce Admin and Developer. He later got promoted to Senior Developer and currently works as Salesforce Team Lead at CloudQ. He has almost six years of experience working in different roles in Salesforce. He’s an MCA graduate and has had a great experience working with CloudQ to date. He loves the work culture here. Surya is from Saharanpur, UP, and he found it tough to shift from north to south due to the language barrier. But, he tells us proudly that our colleagues at CloudQ have been accommodating and helpful in making the transition easier. Recently, he was awarded a token of appreciation for the work he did with the HNR company. So congratulations on the award, Surya!
How do you prefer to start your day?
Whatever day it is, I wake up in the morning, and I go for a walk for 1-2 km. Then I prefer to have a cup of coffee that refreshes my mind and body. It sort of kickstarts my day in a positive direction. You can say, “Coffee is my kind of Sanjeevani.” At work, I start by checking my emails for any kind of updates or changes in work priorities. Once I confirm the works I need to complete, I work out a mental checklist and break down the workflow in my mind to try to finish it on time.
Are you an early bird or a night owl?
To be honest, I am a night person. I prefer to work on USA time. I normally sleep around 2 am, and naturally, I incline toward night shifts, especially if they are working from home. If I have the compulsion to travel to the office for work, then I prefer daytime work hours. It’s all about convenience.
Who has influenced you most when it comes to how you approach your work?
I have multiple people I prefer to look up to. Specifically, I broadly follow Steve Jobs, Ratan Tata, and Elon Musk. I feel, these people, they are otherworldly and always leave me in awe with their lives and careers. There was a colleague of mine, Vipul, from my previous company who joined four months earlier to me, and he had an amazing work ethic which kept him focused on the work at hand and finding solutions. He would finish any assignment with determination and focus within deadlines. Such drive inspires me a lot. In general, any person who works hard and is driven to find the solution to a problem inspires me, despite their rank or position.
What behavior or personality trait do you most attribute your success to, and why?
The first thing that comes to my mind before I approach any situation is this line, “I HAVE TO DO THIS!” For example, earlier in my career, when I was assigned work, I would get stuck at some point in the process of finding a solution. Then this thought: “I have to do this!” keeps coming to my mind, and I keep thinking of how to solve the problem. I keep thinking about the solutions whether I am at home or the office. You never know when an idea sticks. Once I get an idea, I go to the office and implement it. The most important way to approach a problem is to stop looking at the problem as a tough one. Always remember your boss has assigned the job to you because you are capable of finding the solution. Keep trying and work hard. You will achieve SUCCESS at the end.
What was your first job?
It was a Salesforce Admin job as a trainee at NCR. They gave me training in Salesforce for three months and conducted an interview. I was asked to join the company.
What’s the worst job you’ve ever had, and what did you learn from it?
I won’t say it was the worst job but mostly I was overworked, and I lost the concept of work-life balance. On the positive side, because I was always working, I learned a lot technically. However, I understood the importance of work-life balance and the need for personal time with family. You can say, “A Healthy Personal Life Ensures Healthy Professional Life.”
What’s a mistake you made early on in your career, and what did you learn from it?
No such mistakes. I believe whatever actions I took throughout my career from the first job till now are the reasons why I am at this position and mind space now. So no regrets.
What led you to this career?
I did MCA. I was not planning to choose a career in Salesforce during my MCA days. I was planning a career in Big Data. In my 5th semester during college days, I started to self-teach myself on Big Data through YouTube videos. Once I completed MCA, I did reach out to some institutes to learn and get certified in Big Data courses, but they said getting a job in Big Data requires experience, and it is very difficult to get a job. The training is extremely expensive and there is no job assurance at the end. They advised me to go for a Salesforce course and learn about data management to get an idea how Big Data works, kind of! So this was a stepping stone towards my dream job in Big Data, but now I am happy with my career and have no plans to switch to Big Data any time soon.
What energizes you at work?
The first thing is the task complexity which excites me. However tough the solution is, I want to work hard and find the solution to the problem. I like making a good impression on my team and seniors.
What’s one thing that surprised you about working at CloudQ?
Working with CloudQ has always been fulfilling. However, I had some doubts about getting adjusted to the new culture at South. But, once I started working here, the work environment has been really comforting and really good. Everyone here is easily approachable and accommodating. Especially our CEO is always available on WhatsApp and calls for anything we need, despite the time difference.
What’s a work-related accomplishment that you’re proud of?
The first one would be the CSP, the current project I am working on. I got appreciation from the client recently. And another project that I am working on now which got me really good feedback from the client.
What’s the biggest misconception people have about your position?
Sometimes, I feel my team may think I am not very helpful or reachable. Also, I am kind of overly friendly with my team and juniors, and sometimes I feel they may take it for granted.
How would your colleagues and team describe you?
Those who know me very well would describe me as friendly, fun-loving, and easily reachable.
What techniques have you used to motivate a team?
I would tell my team that I am here as a facilitator. Whatever task you complete and solutions you find, the credit entirely belongs to you. It’s your hard work, not anyone else’s. So, to have a good career and good feedback from clients and seniors, ensure you do your job on time. You do not need to be extraordinary, and do not postpone your work for tomorrow.
Do you use any tools to support you in leading a team?
No tools and I am much more a hands-on person with my team.
Explain a project where you led your team to success.
There was a project at CloudQ called House Call Doctors. The project was running for two years. When I joined CloudQ, I was assigned as the Tech lead to the project, and the project was messed up. There were a lot of glitches and bugs. So I jumped in, and I talked to the client and team. I took full control of the project, rectified the issues, and the project is running successfully.
What is Salesforce?
Salesforce is a company that provides a cloud framework for data management.
What type of Salesforce projects have you implemented the most?
Mostly, I have worked on Sales Cloud, Health Cloud, and Service Cloud.
Explain to me as if I am a client: Why should I choose Salesforce products?
The most important thing these days is data security and data accessibility on the run. You need an option to access the data from anywhere, and at any time, in the most secure way. Salesforce can offer you data security. Moreover, Salesforce offers you applications and tools to build a website, mobile application, etc. It’s like you get multiple technologies from a single place like Salesforce with high data security.
What certifications do you have that prepared you for this position?
I am Platform Developer 1 certified in Salesforce and trying for Platform Developer 2.
What are your responsibilities as a Salesforce Team lead?
- Deliverability is my main responsibility as a team lead.
- Keeping clients happy by delivering products within the timeline.
- Be a bridge between clients and team to communicate requirements and doubts between team and client.
- Project management and time management to keep the project within the timeline.
- Project execution planning and workflow breakdown.
What are the few tricks and tips you would like to pass on to aspiring Salesforce executives?
If you want to work in Salesforce, ensure you have mastered basic Java. If you know Java, it is easy to learn Salesforce. Just remember, if there is a problem, there is a solution, and the moment you find the solution, you become a true developer.
How do you prefer to end your day?
Once I finish work, if it’s not too late in the evening I would like to go for a bike ride which I love to get some fresh air. If it’s late, I go for a walk and refresh my mind, have dinner, and relax.
Thank you, Surya, for being part of our informative blog series, and you are a great inspiration to our young colleagues.
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