3 Questions with… Usman Kotwal

Usman Kotwal is a Senior Agile Coach at Merck Group who focuses on mixing Strategy with Operations to set the stage for strong product teams to thrive.

Passion & Purpose: Remove the fluff! The real content is often buried in layers of ego, process, or scattered across many minds. I love to create organizations that know why they exist and harness that focused superpower.

What does continuous learning look like for you? Both in your professional and personal life?

Writing things down. I started pretty late with it. I am good at connecting dots but bad at remembering things. When sitting down to write my thoughts, I learn new things and those things evolve into more cogent ideas. They then form the basis for all the new learnings. That foundation is key.

What does work look like when it is fun?

Very similar to playing and researching something interesting. And it always involves being together with other people. Things come easy, even the difficult things. Just like pushing yourself feels a lot easier when surrounded by people on a similar skill level. Or several people who are better than you in fields you want to grow in. It feels like non-stop learning and discovering. Also, the cycles feel fast. Like table tennis. For me, fun at work leads to my best work and has led me to form some great friendships!

As many companies and industries grapple with an external environment that keeps people separated, how do you create a more cohesive culture internally? And related, how do your organizations ensure psychological safety for their employees without losing the importance of an inclusive mindset?

Psychological safety and fostering an inclusive environment depend on the people in the environment. One thing I try to do away with is a preconceived image of professionalism (a set of behaviors deemed to be “professional”, e.g.: Wearing a suit) and instead focus on great work. I make sure I take time to praise work that is well done in larger groups and address the not-so-good things 1:1. I am proactive and thoughtful with my approach in leading meetings or workshops, which includes asking useful questions to ensure representation. To diffuse tension and strike good chemistry in the group, I tell jokes. I hope that this allows others to feel more comfortable and that they too are empowered to ask whatever questions they have. Ultimately, bringing in their funny as well as vulnerable side too.

Side Note from Beth: I can attest to Usman's immense skill at creating warm, inviting, and psychologically safe spaces for productive meetings as I've been on the contributor/participant side of many of his workshops.

LinkedIn: Usman Kotwal

Merck Interview: Spotlight on Usman Kotwal and his colleague and friend Jeremia Riedel

Be sure to check out the previous edition of 3QsWith with Anna Goldsmith , award-winning copywriting agency owner & TEDx producer

If you're interested in being featured on "3 Questions With...", let me know by leaving a comment or contacting me here Beth Lisogorsky, MBA