Simerjeet Singh (left) and Jim Grisanzio (right) via Zoom in September 2020.

I met Simerjeet Singh in December 2019 in Hyderabad, India. He was the keynote speaker at Sangam 19, the largest Oracle technology conference in India, where hundreds of Oracle ACEs and Oracle Groundbreaker Ambassadors gather twice a year as a community to discuss technology. Sangam means a "meeting of the minds," which was surely the experience for the developers and database professionals who attended the conference in December 2019.

The Sangam conference series is the creation of the All India Oracle Users Group (AIOUG), which also manages several other technical events throughout the year including Oracle Groundbreakers India Yatra (which means journey).

Singh’s keynote at Sangam 19 was electric. He captivated the audience, speaking passionately about leadership, his experiences changing careers, and how people can learn to thrive in a VUCA world (volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous). Here are interviews and photos from Sangam 19.

VUCA certainly describes the world of many developers these days—a world characterized by constant change with every new wave of technology that darts around the corner at an ever-increasing speed. Modern software developers and database administrators know they have to keep up, which is why skill development is openly discussed at all tech conferences.

But it’s not merely about maintaining technical skills. Thriving in this new world—particularly in 2020—involves thinking differently and adapting to new situations that are completely out of your control. How do you deal with such circumstances? That’s where Singh’s perspective is particularly valuable.

“We are driven by progress. We love progress,” says Singh. “Do something every day to improve the quality of what you do—not to impress anyone else but only for yourself.”

I spoke with Singh in September. In our discussion, Simerjeet offered insights on how to approach new situations, develop a different perspective on whatever challenge comes your way, and not only accept things that are out of your control, but to leverage these situations and turn them around from a negative to a positive. In addition to the podcast below, you can watch a video of my interview with Singh.

Like our other Oracle conferences during COVID-19, Sangam 20 will be virtual this year. The conference starts Thursday, December 3 and runs for three weeks. Developers and database professionals around the world are encouraged to register, get involved, and participate. Here’s the session list.