Dharmendra Agrawal, area director of finance at Hyatt Hotel Corporation, Gillian Lyimo, director of finance at Action for Democratic Governance, and Manish Ranjan, head of finance at ALAF Tanzania share the early career advice that continues to guide how they think and lead.
The best advice often comes when least expected. Some finance executives were moulded by advice received early in life, while others changed course after a professional relationship redefined how they lead.
For Dharmendra Agrawal, area director of finance at Hyatt Hotel Corporation, the best career advice he received came from a former boss. When he joined the industry, he was keen to get his work right. A senior colleague pushed him to look beyond his role and study how those above him worked. That subtle shift changed the way he approached his work and laid the groundwork for his career progression.
“The way to grow in life is not just to focus on what you are doing. Always look at what your senior is doing and learn from that. That will help you grow because you will start understanding what level you need to be at, and you will start aligning yourself with that level,” he says.
As he took on leadership roles, Dharmendra paid closer attention to the broader culture of his workplace. He soon realised that excelling at technical work was only part of the equation, and understanding the unwritten rules and expectations of leadership was equally important. This realisation helped him integrate better into the work culture.
“If you do not understand the culture of the organisation, you will not last. Even if you are very good at your work, they will not value you as much as they should. So, you need to understand your workplace and know how to align with the expectations of the leadership. This has helped me a lot in my journey,” he says.
A seed planted
Gillian Lyimo, director of finance at Action for Democratic Governance, traces her motivation back to an encounter at Tanzania’s CRDB bank when she was just eight years old. She was struck by the sight of the suited tellers working behind the banking hall’s glass counters.
“My mum was showing me how to pay my school fees and giving me directions like, ‘When you come here, you’re supposed to do this and that. Be careful with this, make sure you do that’. I remember seeing the ladies in suits, walking so perfectly and looking so sharp, and I thought, ‘Wow, I want to be like them’. Then, when I got to Form One, I asked someone who worked at the bank, ‘What am I supposed to do? If I want to be like you?’ He told me, ‘You need to study this and that, and if you do, you can become like me or even more’. I told him I wanted to be a director at CRDB, and he laughed and asked if I was joking. But I was serious,” she says.
Although Gillian went down a different path and now works in the non-profit sector, that moment still fuels her confidence. The fact that the man indulged her childhood ambitions and gave her a path forward helped her stay the course. Over the years, Gillian has received advice and mentorship from different quarters, but those early words have stayed with her ever since.
“That’s the bank I’ve known since I was young. I’ve been coming in and out of it for years. So I said, ‘One day, I want to be like you. I want to be a director here’. And he said, ‘All the best’. His name was Emmanuel. He made me believe that I’m able. He made me believe I can do it,” she says.
Investing in others
For Manish Ranjan, head of finance at ALAF Tanzania, the words that shaped him came early in his career. A manager at work noticed he had a tendency to take on too much alone. Instead of telling him to work harder, his boss encouraged him to invest in those around him, changing his entire outlook.
“One of my early managers told me, ‘Never hesitate to develop your team even if they are not perfect today. Don’t be afraid that they will take your job. If you help them grow, you will grow too’. That has always stuck with me,” he says.
Today, Manish is intentional about identifying potential in his team members, closing knowledge gaps, and delegating tasks. He believes that empowering others increases overall capacity and strengthens the business in ways that last.
“If your team can function without you, then you have done your job. You cannot move to the next level if you are the only one who knows everything. Developing others is what creates space for you to lead and grow. That is what leadership really means,” he says.
