Building an educational foundation
When Paul Sinanian graduated from Clemson in 1991 with his mechanical engineering degree, he envisioned his career journey as something completely different than what it turned out to be.
Sinanian started his career at Robert Bosch Corporation as a manufacturing engineer. For the first seven years of his career journey, he learned the basics of engineering, quality tools, manufacturing, and product development to build the foundation for understanding how engineers are utilized for the complete product life cycle – from concept to a manufacturing environment.
In 1992 Sinanian decided to go back to his beloved alma mater to pursue a Clemson MBA degree. His background in engineering was perfect for seeing the technical side of his work, but his MBA courses showed him how businesses function, the importance of building relationships and communication, and strategic viewpoints. Graduating in 1997, his experience in the Clemson MBA Program changed his thoughts about organizations and people. Sinanian went on to earn additional degrees in accounting and business management while attending night classes at Furman University.
In 1998, Sinanian started a new engineering role at BMW Manufacturing where he continued to build his professional career. “My educational foundation kept growing, which allowed me to start applying strategic management principles to developing people, managing projects and leading with purpose explains Sinanian. “I always tell anyone that wants advice on continuing education to pursue an MBA at the right point in their career—not right out of school. I think it’s much more impactful when you have real-world examples to draw from. With that experience, you can apply a case-study mindset to the principles you’re learning and reinforce the content in a way that sticks.”
His path to coaching
Although he started his career as an engineer, Sinanian later realized he had a passion for guiding others. In the early 2000s in his vehicle testing role, he began mentoring young professionals, helping them prepare for their careers and find their footing in the corporate world. Through this, Sinanian learned how to give good feedback and step into a coaching role.
“I started really taking pride in bringing people into the company and getting them prepared for a career. There’s a great intrinsic reward when you see someone who is a sophomore in college grow throughout their time with you and see them succeed on their own.”
Sinanian has a lot of people who helped him find success in his own career. One of his mentors, in particular, shared with Sinanian advice that has stuck with him ever since. “He told me a few critical things when working with people,” Sinanian recalls. “First, you have to recognize that people aren’t robots. Second, the most important thing is to connect with people, and the only way you’ll connect is if they trust you. Trust comes from being authentic and understanding that your job as a leader is to put others first.”
Transitioning to leadership training
When the opportunity arose in 2019 to transition into a leadership training role at BMW, Sinanian decided to go for it. Drawing on all his educational experiences and his time coaching young professionals, he began closely working with his team of instructional designers to help build and implement the education content across BMW.
“I care about my people, and I care about the processes that we do. I’m leading people to develop the skills to accomplish tasks the best way they can, and now he has had a hand in developing hundreds of young professionals as they begin their careers at BMW.”
“When I was evaluating vehicles as an engineer, if something was wrong, the root cause analysis process was just that – a process. You worked through the analysis of the failure code, the noise, or the performance issue. While every problem was different, you had a more straightforward approach for how to identify and solve the issue. But with people, it’s different. They have feelings, personal challenges and complexities. You have to try to understand what each person is going through—whether it’s financial stress, family issues, or something else entirely. Once you connect with them, then they are more open to learning and applying those skills.”
Reflecting and looking forward
Reflecting on his career so far, one of the most rewarding experiences has been a full-circle moment with one of his mentees. Beginning in her sophomore year of college, Sinanian guided her through three rotations as a co-op at BMW. When she wanted to come back to do a fourth, he encouraged her to work for another company so she could gain even more experience. They kept in touch throughout the rest of her college journey, and upon her graduation, Sinanian was able actually to hire her on his team.
“Being able to see the direct impact of what you can do by coaching, by being there, by giving honest feedback, by listening, by hearing what their problems are and not giving them the solutions but giving them the tools actually to develop their own solutions is such a special part of what I do.”
As he continues to improve and expand the training program at BMW, he uses what he learned in the Clemson MBA Program to guide the process. “It wasn’t until the MBA that the foundation came together. With that, I really started to become a complete person in terms of moving to different areas of the business and my personal life to start bringing different perspectives together to really help transform me into something new.
Staying involved
Even after graduating with his MBA, Sinanian continues to support the Clemson MBA Program through the MBA Executive Board and with the Career Services team. He has been a part of the MBA Executive Board’s initiative to launch a new Learning Series this past fall, which focused on educating business professionals on current trends in business through a micro certificate program. He is also a great resource for current students and has hosted over 30 students for a behind-the-scenes tour at BMW.
Gregory Picket, Ph.D., director of the Clemson MBA program, says that Sinanian has made a great impact on the program. “Paul has been a great ambassador for the Clemson MBA Program, and we are honored to have him continue to give back to the program,” says Pickett. “His professional growth with BMW has been nothing short of spectacular, and his servant leadership continues to be a huge resource for our students.”
About the Clemson MBA Program
Clemson’s MBA program is highly regarded for its innovative approach to advanced business topics. Clemson MBA students can expect an engaging classroom experience with academically qualified faculty that also boasts business experience reaching far beyond the classroom. In addition, students can expect over 30 annual career-focused events that range from employer visits to networking forums and individual career counseling with the Princeton Review’s #1 ranked Career Services team.
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