Sabir Shaikh.
Throughout most of his career, Sabir Shaikh has worked on resolving problems that emerge during the implementation of projects.
Late movement of materials, idle machines, lack of coordination between different departments, or wrong decisions made at the wrong time are some of the factors that can disrupt a well-thought-out construction timeline. Sabir works in EPC contracting, engineering, construction, project execution and art sculpture manufacturing within the group of companies he leads, and much of what he does across these activities involves resolving such problems to create a smoother flow.
Speed has never been just about speed itself to him, but about understanding what enables it.
Over the years, Sabir has worked on projects where timelines have been tight and there has been very little room for delays.
One such project involved approximately 1.5 lakh sq. ft. of work completed in around 60 days. Another 22,000 sq. ft. project was completed in approximately 42 days.
For Sabir, completing such projects is not simply a matter of increasing manpower or bringing more machinery to the site. A large part of it comes down to planning how people, machines, materials and decisions move together.
A machine that remains unused for several hours can affect the next stage of work. Materials arriving late can keep an entire team waiting. Similarly, a communication gap between two departments can create problems that may take much longer to correct later.
His experience has therefore made him look closely at these smaller gaps that can eventually become much larger delays.
Today, Savians Group works with more than 2,000 people, and managing a workforce of this size has also influenced the way Sabir looks at leadership.
He believes that the growth of a company cannot be separated from the growth of the people working within it.
Over the years, people who joined the organisation in relatively junior roles have moved into positions carrying much greater responsibility. Some team members have remained associated with the company for more than two decades, growing professionally as the organisation itself expanded.
For Sabir, this is an important part of building a business.
His belief is simple: "When your team grows, your business grows."
This also means giving people opportunities to learn new skills, take responsibility and gradually move into roles they may not have been ready for when they first joined.
This becomes even more relevant at a time when artificial intelligence, automation and advanced machinery are becoming a larger part of industries such as construction and engineering.
Sabir does not believe that the conversation should only be about how much human work can be replaced by machines.
Machines can improve accuracy and handle repetitive work. Software can improve planning, while AI can help analyse information and identify patterns much faster. But on a project site, there are still situations where somebody has to understand what is happening, make a decision and adapt when things do not go according to plan.
This relationship between people and technology is also among the subjects Sabir speaks about outside his business.
He recently appeared as a TEDx speaker at TEDx Imperial SBMS, where he spoke around the theme Dreams to Reality. His areas of interest as a speaker include entrepreneurship, leadership, human and machine management, and the role technology can play in improving human capability rather than simply replacing manpower.
These are subjects he has experienced closely while working with large teams and handling projects where technology and human judgement have to work together.
As his businesses have grown, Sabir's understanding of entrepreneurship has also moved beyond completing one project and moving to the next.
For him, building a company also means improving the systems within it and helping people become better at what they do.
Technology has an important role in that process, but he believes the purpose of technology should be to remove unnecessary effort and make people more capable rather than make their contribution irrelevant.
It is an approach that comes directly from years of managing people, machinery and projects on the ground.
For Sabir, a faster project is ultimately the result of many things working correctly at the same time. The same applies to building a business. Stronger systems matter, but so do the people who make those systems work every day.
To know more, visit: www.Saviansindia.com
