Recipe for Success Calls for Patience and Deep Understanding of Role

Taking roles with increased responsibility is an important part of the employee experience at Caterpillar. Employees are encouraged to apply their skillset to roles that align with their career ambitions. Chennai-based Engineering Manager, Sandhya Sundar pursued a path that took her from working in various product groups as a process engineer to becoming a key people leader driving enterprise growth through her team’s skills.

The key to her career trajectory is tied to a desire to deeply understand each role and build expertise before moving to the next. Sandhya’s advice she would give to future engineers is based on her own strong drive to add value in a role. “Success is a repetitive process and process improvements need to be repetitive. Looking inwards into one’s own role to deliver value for the company and for oneself will position the employee on the path to success.” She goes on to further emphasize the fact that one must fully enrich the role before moving onto a new opportunity. “Be passionate and curious and, at the same time, invest the time and effort to skill and master your current role.” She also encourages young professionals to identify creative ways to improve work processes to further add value to the position.

Today, as an engineering leader, Sandhya offers the same level of support to her team that she once received from her leadership. “It gives me a sense of accomplishment when I see my team members doing well for themselves. I see it as an opportunity to make a positive and meaningful impact in their growth while ensuring business success.”