In a recent conversation, Akhil Agrawal, who leads North American Business and Customer Success at Infoseps, shared his remarkable journey, from his early fascination with numbers to managing large-scale teams and driving business transformation. With over 20 years of experience in data and analytics, Akhil provided a wealth of insights on leadership, customer success, and the evolving role of technology in business.
A Childhood Affinity for Data
Akhil’s fascination with data analytics began early on, shaped by his upbringing in a business-oriented family. He recalls how his father would assign him and his brother weekly tasks involving manual ledgers: “He used to give us the weekly transactions, asking us to do aggregations and identify top sellers,” Akhil shared. These tasks ignited his love for numbers and laid the foundation for his career in data analytics.
Reflecting on his college years, Akhil admitted he was initially unaware of data analytics as a distinct field: “I never knew analytics was a career option while growing up or in college.” His career trajectory took a pivotal turn when he landed a project focused on data reality early in his professional journey. This experience solidified his decision to pursue a career in data.
Leadership Evolution: From Technical Expertise to Customer Success
Akhil’s career has seen him transition from technical roles to leading global teams and customer success initiatives. He attributes his growth to adapting his leadership style to various situations. “I’m a situational leader,” he explained, “I enjoy the player-coach model, where I work closely with my team to understand the intricacies and set the pace.”
This adaptive approach proved crucial when shifting from technical roles to customer success. He noted that while technical roles often grant a certain level of expertise and recognition, customer success can be more challenging: “In a technical role, you’re seen as a go-to person. But in customer success, you have to work harder to demonstrate value, as customers often perceive you as just another salesperson.”
Akhil emphasized the importance of maintaining consistency in customer success to build trust: “Consistency brings credibility, and credibility brings trust.” He added that understanding customers’ needs, focusing on business value, and fostering strong feedback loops are essential for nurturing long-term relationships.
Embracing the Player-Coach Leadership Model
One of the key principles that Akhil champions is the player-coach model of leadership. By being actively involved in projects and staying hands-on, he believes leaders can develop a deeper understanding of the challenges faced by their teams. “This approach helps me empathize with the team while also setting the direction,” he said. However, he acknowledged that there are times when a more directive approach is necessary, especially in high-stakes situations.
For him, embracing diverse perspectives within a team is another leadership strategy that has paid dividends. “Diversity is the easiest path to innovation,” Akhil noted. He emphasized that valuing different viewpoints has helped him navigate complex situations and drive change across his teams.
Transitioning Through Industry Changes
The tech industry has seen significant changes over the past two decades, with data and AI at the forefront of transformation. Akhil reminisced about the early days when data warehousing was the buzzword, and operational reporting projects took months to complete. Today, advancements in technology enable real-time intelligence and prescriptive analytics powered by AI.
“The rate of change has accelerated dramatically,” he observed. “Things we couldn’t imagine 20 years ago are now becoming standard practice.” He highlighted the importance of responsible AI and explainability in building trust, especially as data and AI are integrated into everyday business processes.
Lessons Learned: Listening Over Telling
Akhil’s advice for those starting in customer success or data analytics is to prioritize listening over expertise: “Take pride in your ignorance, not your knowledge. When you do that, you will start asking rather than telling, and that’s when real listening happens.” He believes that understanding customer pain points and defining their success criteria, rather than imposing one’s own, is crucial to achieving meaningful outcomes.
He shared a personal practice that has helped him hone this skill: using call recording technology to analyze his listening versus speaking ratio during meetings. “It was eye-opening to see how much I talked versus listened. It’s a valuable exercise for anyone in a customer-facing role.”
Driving Change through Internal Innovation
Akhil recounted a challenging but rewarding internal project aimed at optimizing revenue and streamlining operations. Tasked with “cutting the noise and optimizing revenue,” he spearheaded a cross-functional DevOps team to address inefficiencies. The initiative brought together diverse perspectives from product, engineering, sales, finance, and even talent management to solve complex problems.
“At first, it was chaotic, with everyone on each other’s throats,” he admitted. “But once we established clear business outcomes and measured progress consistently, the team started to align.” The project is now on autopilot, illustrating the power of cross-functional collaboration and continuous improvement.
The Future of Data, AI, and Business
Looking ahead, Akhil is optimistic about the potential of data and AI to solve real-world problems beyond business use cases, such as healthcare and education. He is particularly interested in the fields of ethical AI, data security, and data monetization through innovative frameworks like data clean rooms.
However, he cautions against adopting new technologies without considering their business value. “There’s a lot of hype, but not every trend lives up to it. The focus should be on driving real outcomes and ensuring technology adoption aligns with business objectives.”
Final Thoughts: The Power of Compounding
As a piece of advice to his younger self, Akhil highlighted the concept of compounding, not just in wealth creation but in all facets of life. “Start investing early—in your health, habits, and network. The earlier you start, the bigger the impact over time.”
His reflections on leadership, technology, and personal growth provide valuable lessons for anyone looking to thrive in the ever-evolving tech landscape. Whether it’s staying adaptable, listening more than talking, or embracing innovation at the idea level, Akhil’s insights remind us that success is a continuous journey shaped by learning and resilience.