Ramesh Jampula on How He and Others Demonstrate the Dell Technologies Culture

Ramesh J. | VP, Dell Digital - Global Operations | Hyderabad, India 

Originally Published: August 21st, 2023

We asked Ramesh some burning questions about his experience with Dell’s culture. He has made some bold career moves, is actively involved in mentoring, and is also the APJ&C Executive co-sponsor for the Family Balance ERG. He finds the Dell culture at the center of all of this. Read on to learn why.

What are some of the best career decisions you have made? Did Dell’s culture make it easy for you to make these decisions?

When I look back on my 29-year career, many career decisions have led me to where I am today. The top 4 decisions that stand out for me are:

• Moving into a leadership role early in my career

Several mentors and managers guided me to pick leadership roles while I was still a hands-on technical consultant in the US. It was a tough decision at the time, with some risk involved, but it has turned out to be one of the best decisions I’ve made. I want to give a huge shoutout to all the mentors and leaders who invested in me and groomed me into the people leader I am today. Key takeaway: Don’t be afraid to take calculated risks.

• Stepping Down from Director Position to Prioritize Family 

When I decided to move back to India for good in 2007, I made the conscious decision to take a step down from the position of Director of Technical Services in the US to a front-line Technical Manager in India. I had to prioritize personal and family commitments. This worked out pretty well, actually! Key takeaway: It is absolutely okay to take a step back in your career if other needs demand your time and attention.

• Coming Back from US and Rejoining Dell

The third big decision was to come back from the US and join Dell for a second time as a Senior Manager in the Supply Chain space. I have been fortunate to be able to do multiple different roles over the past 12 years, and this has helped me get to where I am today in my career at Dell.

• Focusing on Empathetic Leadership

Finally, throughout my leadership journey, I have stuck to the basic principles of Empathetic leadership and invested in relationships. I believe in having the right people in the right place and giving them the autonomy and trust to do the right things. My career growth can be directly attributed to all the wonderful teams I have been a part of, the inspiring leaders from whom I continue to learn to this day, and my amazing family, which always extends unconditional support.

Dell’s culture did make it easy for me to make some of these major decisions. One of the key reasons for wanting to join Dell a second time was the culture. In my consultant role in the US, I got to experience global cultures across various organizations. To me, Dell stood out because I have seen every team member readily embrace and bring our culture to life. Even during the COVID pandemic, we came together as a people, as one large team, to help one another get through some very difficult times.

What drew you to Family Balance so much that you are now the executive sponsor for APJ&C? Let’s see. I have always prioritized family. My family is the reason for my move back to India. I place a lot of importance on balancing my life around my family. So naturally, when the Family Balance ERG was getting started in India, I wanted to be a part of it. I started off as an India board member for the Family Balance ERG, then became the India Executive Sponsor, and today I serve as the APJ&C co-sponsor. We have an amazing core team that runs various events under the aegis of the Family Balance ERG in the region. It is great to be part of the overall Dell family and to be able to contribute towards my favourite ERG – Family Balance.

What does inclusion mean to you? Can you share some real-life examples of how being more inclusive has had a visible impact? In my view, workplace diversity and inclusion allow businesses to build teams that bring different viewpoints and talents to the mix, increasing innovation and driving better business outcomes. In my career so far, I have not only built diverse teams but also seen them deliver outstanding results! The team members were very open about their opinions, didn’t seem to have any inhibitions, and helped Dell achieve some brilliant outcomes. I think what worked was challenging stereotypes, avoiding assumptions, and being very mindful of inclusion in our communications.

Why are you interested in mentoring and sponsoring individuals? How does this fit into your focus on inclusion? My career is a great example of how mentoring and sponsorship helped me. Now, I want to pay this forward. I am part of mentor circles such as EDGE, RISE, Industry collaborative mentor circles, etc. Some of these forums are 100% focused on inclusion, and this feeds into my drive to build more inclusive workplaces. Mentorship is a two-way street, and it’s a great opportunity to learn from each other. I feel a sense of pride and joy when I see several of my mentors growing up in their career paths, taking on larger roles, and being successful. It is a great investment of my time, I would say. How do you think you represent Dell’s culture in action? I truly believe that all of us are great ambassadors who drive Dell’s culture into action. I firmly believe in the core values and principles of our culture code. Relationships, humility, optimism, and selflessness are at the core of my leadership principles. Leading with Integrity, winning together, and building great relationships are at the core of how I lead teams. I could see every Dell team member exhibiting Dell’s culture in action to help us navigate through the tough pandemic times—from pivoting to remote/hybrid working to engaging with our teams to continuing to deliver outstanding results, I don’t think there’s a better example of how enabling our culture is.

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