MEL #054 | From Perfectionist Engineer to Global Startup President through Cultural Flexibility and Discomfort as a Teacher with Darshan Deshmukh

In this episode, I speak with Darshan Deshmukh, president at ProcureAbility, a Jabil company, delivering an industry-leading suite of procurement and supply chain services to global organizations.Darshan grew up in India with strong influences in engineering and math, which naturally drew him toward a technical career. He studied mechanical engineering, worked briefly in software, and then realized he was more interested in how business systems fit together than in writing code. That insight led him to a master’s in supply chain at Penn State and into manufacturing and planning roles at IBM where he moved from technical roles into leadership and took on global assignments across multiple regions. He later transitioned into startups where he helped build and scale organizations and eventually stepped into executive leadership roles following acquisitions.In our leadership segment, Darshan talks about a defining challenge that came during his first startup experience. The company was growing quickly, but depended heavily on one major customer who announced plans to shift most of the work to a larger provider within a year. That decision put significant pressure on revenue, morale, and leadership credibility. Rather than sugarcoating the situation, Darshan chose to be open and transparent with the team. The experience tested his resilience and reinforced the value of trust during prolonged uncertainty.Darshan’s advice for aspiring engineering leaders? Stop waiting for perfect certainty before stepping into leadership roles. Many of the most important career decisions involve risk, discomfort, and acting without all the answers. He also encourages engineers to apply their analytical thinking to people, teams, and organizations, not just to technical problems, and to avoid common identity traps, such as believing you are not a seller or not the leadership type. His core message is to take smart risks, trust your instincts, and let discomfort be a signal for growth.Explore the full episode summary, including guest bio, key takeaways, transcript, and recommended resources in the shownotes at www.drangeliqueadams.com/podcast