Ramesh Dewangan, the man who wears many hats

Name: Ramesh Dewangan | Designation: Founder & CEO | Company: Quantum Vision Consulting | Place: Morgan Hill, California

(May 12, 2023) He spent 30 long years working the corporate grind before he decided to take a break from it all and branch out on his own. Meet Ramesh Dewangan, founder and CEO of Quantum Vision Consulting and a resident of Morgan Hill, California, who now spends his days training, coaching and guiding senior professionals to help them get unstuck and to help corporates improve their leadership and efficacy.

Born and raised in Chhattisgarh, Ramesh soon made his way to Mangalore to do his engineering in electronics and communication from KREC (now NITK), Surathkal after which he did his Masters in Computer Science from IIT Madras. As fate would have it, he landed his first job with Texas Instruments in 1986 in Bangalore itself where he spent the next decade working his way up to the rank of senior manager engineering. While at TI, his project became so well known globally that in 1996 he moved to California with Synopsys as their Technical Program Manager. “I was one of the rare international hires at the time. I went to the US on an EB-1 visa (an employment-based visa category offered to foreign nationals who demonstrate extraordinary ability in their field) and got my Green Card within eight months,” says Ramesh.

A new life

That was the start of a new beginning for this Global Indian, who has since made the US West Coast his home. As he climbed up the corporate ladder he worked with various companies such as Cadence Design Systems, Atrenta Inc, and Real Intent, before he decided to set up his own business two years ago. “The pandemic gave me time to reflect. I’d always had a passion for coaching and decided to set up Quantum Vision Consulting to provide leadership coaching to help individuals get unstuck and companies uplevel their leadership thereby increasing profitability,” he says.

Despite the huge switch, Ramesh was enthusiastic about his new beginnings and believes that an independent coach brings more value by way of industries they can cover and the fact that they can mould themselves as per the client’s POV. “Of course, the switch was not easy. I had to learn a lot of new things, do a lot of courses and certifications. It was a process of training myself as well, prioritize my goals and make sure I don’t fall for the gimmicky stuff,” he says, adding, “Along the way, in my attempt to learn it all, I did end up doing some courses that were not needed. But those were lessons learnt. Eventually I hired some business coaches to help build my business and land the right clients.”

Ramesh Dewangan, founder and CEO of Quantum Vision Consulting

Finding a balance 

Work-life balance was another area that he was somewhat unprepared for. “When I was working the corporate mill it was all about work work and more work. Starting up though only made that worse. I now had to think of everything and the lines between work and life became blurred. Everything seems like a potential opportunity. But I’ve adapted well and also get to travel a lot more,” says Ramesh, who uses several organisational tools to help him prioritise and redirect his time. In his spare time, he also journals to reflect on what he’s done in the day and how much of it was useful.

If the need arises, he also cancels events or reschedules them based on urgency. “This, I must confess, is a recent learning,” smiles this person of multiple hobbies. An avid bicyclist, Ramesh loves to go biking when he can and his favourite trail is the Morgan Hill trail that goes all the way up to San Jose. “It’s very open and is dotted with large farms,” he says, adding, “I love the outdoors. I also enjoy hiking and the Coyote Creek Trail is a family favourite, which runs along a creek and offers some beautiful views.”

Apart from spending time outdoors, Ramesh who begins his day at 8.30 am and wraps up by 6 pm, loves to sing karaoke. “Especially Bollywood karaoke with songs from the 60s to the 90s. My wife is also a good singer and we often sing duets. I also love magical illusions and often perform some acts within our social circles. I love to learn new tricks and sometimes oblige friends at birthday parties too,” says Ramesh, who also love watching NBA and cricket matches.

When he isn’t working, Ramesh loves to travel with his family… usually somewhere away from the hustle and bustle of city life. One of their most recent trips was to Kawai island, one of the quietest islands in Hawaii. “Travel is an escape for us. So we prefer the quieter spots,” says this Indian origin dad of two, who lives with his wife and his 86-year-old father. “My daughter is currently with Apple, while my son is an entrepreneur,” he beams with pride.

Giving back

On his part, Ramesh also ensures he gives back to society and is part of a few charitable organisations such as the India Literacy Project, for which he does fundraising, is part of the Chhattisgarh Social Group through which he helped raise COVID relief funds for the state during the pandemic. “Apart from these, I also hlp the college alumni associations and review essays for them,” says Ramesh, who tries to visit India at least once a year.

A word of advice that he has for young aspirants is to work on their communication skills. “Academic success is no guarantee to establish a great career. Focus on soft skills too such as self-awareness, curiosity mindedness and communication skills. There are so many well educated engineers out there, but they struggle to get good jobs due to their poor communication skills,” he says, adding, “The world has become truly global and we work with people from diverse backgrounds, races, and ethnicities. So ensure that you can see through the colour of one’s skin and work with people for who they are.”

Takeaways:

• Whatever your field, be the best at what you do to reach your goals.

• Life is too short to limit yourself to just a couple of things. Cast a wider net, cultivate multiple hobbies and hone different skills.

• Apart from academic and corporate skills also focus on soft skills and communication.

• Develop a more inclusive attitude.

• Be ready to constantly learn and reinvent yourself, no matter what stage of your life and career you are at.

• Make time and effort to give back to society when you can.