Designing with EQ Featuring Sanjay Nair, Senior Strategy Partner, Carat Global

Welcome to Designing with EQ by Carat, our content series that explores the diverse backgrounds, passions, and talents of the agency team, and how they come together to design for people and brands. 

In this month's interview, we sit down with Sanjay Nair, senior strategy partner, as he shares his insights on EQ, offers career advice and reveals his sources of inspiration. Read on to learn more about what makes Sanjay a unique and how he brings his diverse background and experiences to his role.

Q> What does EQ mean to you?

Sanjay> EQ is a phrase that can mean everything and nothing at the same time. It is a powerful and all-encompassing concept. However, if you break it down, EQ essentially means knowing yourself well enough to understand others. Many people confuse EQ with empathy, but there is more to it than that. Understanding others and being sensitive to their needs is important, whether it's your team, clients, the brands you work with, or society as a whole.

Q> What is the best career advice you have either given or received? 

Sanjay> The best piece of career advice I ever received is that if you're the smartest person in the room, you're probably in the wrong room. This statement has been a guiding principle for me. Whenever I feel like I'm getting too comfortable or complacent, I look for new challenges and opportunities that will put me in unfamiliar, challenging environments. It's those situations where I feel a bit intimidated and unsure that push me to learn, grow, and strive for more. By seeking out such experiences, I've been able to make significant career leaps, moving to different countries, roles, and responsibilities. Ultimately, being in a room where I'm not the smartest keeps me honest, humble, and motivated.

Q> How does your team build EQ into the workplace experience? 

Sanjay> I believe it's a challenging goal that one constantly strives for but never fully reaches. Working in a global function requires understanding people from diverse backgrounds with different skill sets and languages. Therefore, comprehending the context in which they work and live is crucial. Building a culture where mutual understanding is natural requires a deliberate effort to exchange ideas and translate different worldviews into workable solutions. As a team, we need to recognize that we have varying motivations and frustrations and try to overcome them. Finding a happy medium between our values and motivations can be tricky, but it's enjoyable and satisfying to make progress.

Q> Where do you look for inspiration?

Sanjay> I try to avoid living in a bubble to expand my horizons. I keep up with industry trends by reading the trade press, but I also look beyond that to explore other passions that can inform perspective and add value. Although art is not my strong suit, I strive to learn and expand my knowledge by exploring museums, culture and history. I try to avoid being deliberate in my search for inspiration, allowing for serendipitous interactions and the chance to discover new things.

I am easily fascinated by a wide range of things. My threshold for fascination is quite low. It doesn't take much to make me go, "Oh, really? How interesting." 

Q> What is something unique about you, your background, or your role that you bring to the Carat community?

Sanjay> I consider myself a serial outsider and I find it enjoyable. I have worked in five different cities, four different sectors, and three different cultures or regions. These changes occurred during various life stages and roles, even within the media industry where I have worked in research, media planning, strategy, and now in global roles. Being an outsider has given me a healthy distance from any particular organization or industry, as I have not stayed in any one role or space long enough to be considered an insider. This perspective allows me to bring a unique viewpoint to my work.

Carat is uniquely positioned to design for people on behalf of brands. Our people are our greatest asset, bringing diverse backgrounds together to bring insight and emotion to marketing. Interested in learning more? Check out the Carat LinkedIn page here.