Crucial Success Skills Forged Through My Journey
My professional journey over the last dozen years has been studded with opportunities for improvement and moments of improvisation – at least that is how I view it. Self-awareness is something that I believe I’ve always had, from an early age, about myself, my surroundings, and individuals who might impact me or my surroundings. This has helped me inculcate a lot of learnings from my surroundings (just by seeing others succeed or fail as per the classical definition of such).
What I realized from an early age is that no matter what we do or how we choose to do it, if we treat every waking moment as an opportunity (to learn, to excel, to fail or to bypass) then even if I don’t get to my goal, at least I will have an anecdote (read “experience”) about it. This outlook has blessed me with the biggest arrow in my quiver, which is Agility. Agility is not only about doing things fast but more so about not being afraid to do many things in the same duration of time.
The first few years of my professional career, I used to take on more than I could chew, and my peers used to offer counsel about managing priorities and time. But what they didn’t realize is that this was going to help me maximize time management, multi-skilling, etc. because the next time a similar opportunity arises then I will have a lesser probability of faltering because I have already failed (worst case scenario) before. Most of the skills that I feel I have developed are because I dared to fail – to experience every aspect of the HR domain, I have actively pursued different roles across different geographies just to reduce my future opportunities for improvement by taking them head-on early in my career.
After agility, if there is one area that I feel has made me grow as a professional, then that is Empathy. Empathy towards people in my sphere of influence, be it family, friends, immediate colleagues, or even acquaintances with whom I have interacted for a short duration of time. At the end of the day, the world goes round because of human interaction, and it is our choice whether to make it as difficult or as easy for our counterpart as possible.
Earlier I used to operate from a position of naivety wherein I used to assume the best in everyone’s intention, but after having learnt the hard way (that too multiple times being taken for a ride), what I believe now is “hope for the best and prepare for the worst”. I will try and understand my counterpart’s viewpoint, try my level best to assist them as much as possible but also ring-fence my vulnerabilities (being agile helps me do that).
Since mostly everyone is receptive and appreciative of this attribute, I feel my currency (of me as a professional and a leader) has become much more used and recognized. Having received multiple acknowledgments on being a role-model across multiple different organizations, empathy is a currency that is easy to say but difficult to see. In today’s age, wherein everyone is an armchair philosopher, putting things into practice is what I strive to always achieve.
Crafting Creative Opportunities from Every Challenge
One word – Outlook. We all have our own definition of adversity or what we perceive as such. For those of us whose upbringing was marred with challenges, adversity may be extreme, like the availability of good clothes or first-hand books. Again, those of us who come from at least a middle-class family, adversity may be opportunities to study in good colleges. For those of us who are fortunate enough to have a good and plentiful support system at home, adversity is anything that is new or not imagined.
Everyone has their own demons and faces challenges/adversities in their ways on their own. While I will refrain from grading such adversities, what I personally believe is that my outlook on my challenges today will ensure that those same “instances” are no longer classified as challenges tomorrow. Essentially treating everything as a learning experience.
The most recent adversity that I faced professionally was navigating the well-being of more than 3000 individuals during the recent flash floods in Sikkim (Oct ’23). We had people whose houses were washed away, many had to vacate their homes as they were directly in the flash flood route, and many lost their dear ones (either missing or fatality). As someone who is responsible for everyone, the most basic mindset is to acknowledge your responsibility. It is very easy to say you are the head of the plant when there is an achievement being celebrated, but when you are faced with such a calamity and everyone is looking at you for guidance and direction, that is when you become a leader amongst many.
The first thing that came into my mind was to ensure that we have an account of everyone (around 3000 individuals associated with the plant). Once that is accomplished, you think of rescue and recovery (not only of those who are in your purview but of all those who might need it) – being empathetic and magnanimous as basic traits of a leader in such scenarios. Next comes aid – food, accommodation, medicine, and emotional support – all of us who were able-bodied ensured that the right requirements reach the right individuals timely since that is more crucial than most other things.
Penultimate is normalization – assisting those aggrieved with support to resume their normal lives, and ultimately it is Brother/Sisterhood in ensuring we are accommodative to our fellow beings who are trying to get back to normalcy. In terms of insights, the biggest realization is that more than striving for perfection, it is the act of taking the first step that is more important and hits home. During difficult times, just being there for someone, showing empathy about something, being vulnerable enough to say “I need help” or “I do not know” acts as a great cohesion force. You might be big in stature/reputation/degree/economically, but when two humans interact, it is the interaction that trumps the individuals interacting.
My Impact
Mentorship is something that I consider truly priceless. Just like our teachers who have made most of us who we are today (after our parents, of course), a mentor is someone who looks out for the baby bird as it tries to make its way in the difficult world. I have always and continue to try to mold “younglings” and support their growth within our field.
As someone who has benefited greatly from such a mentor at a very young age, I try and dedicate at least 4 hours a week to counseling and assisting those who want/need it. Career conversations, myth-busting corporate norms, handling difficult conversations with managers or peers, self-motivation, and friendly chats – these are just some of the topics that we get engrossed in. This journey started post my consulting days, when someone very close to me suggested that I share my points of view with a new entrant into the corporate world as I have lived through the pitfalls myself and come out relatively unscathed.
Now after 10 years of these conversations, the definition of lines between a mentor and a big brother has blurred out – yes, even for those who I have started to interact with relatively recently. The biggest achievement of my short corporate journey would definitely be moments of celebration in the professional lives of my friends (no longer call them mentees) when either they get a promotion, international assignment, brilliant rating or feedback, or just feel happy to be associated with me and not find it a complete waste.
Scaling New Heights in Personal and Professional Triumphs
Success for me is entirely intrinsic – meaning laurels, plaques, and certificates are not it. I will consider myself successful the day I hit my personal goals. When I say personal, it means intrinsic to me and it can be professional as well. So, let's look at the personal goals that I have set for myself:
1. Master every role in my domain - HR
2. Marry the love of my life
3. Be financially independent by 40 - to not remain dependent on salary
4. Meet new people and learn new customs every year
5. Catch up with my childhood friends' group every year
The benchmarks set are purely based on what I value – which is time. Time with self, time with loved ones, and time with the fruits of my labor thus far. Of the 70 odd years that I will be alive (am not too healthy); I have already finished half of it with little achievement (point 1 is mostly finished, point 2 is done – others still have gaping holes which I am trying to fulfill at the earliest).
Like every life-cycle, the value realization happens at the plateau of the curve only when you plan the up-curve properly – which is what I am currently engaged in. As I am writing this answer down, I realize that this is the first time I have written down my goals in a single piece of “virtual” paper. It does seem daunting - not because of whether I can achieve them or not; but rather because they might seem “small” to many. To those who say “Dream for the stars and you might reach the tree-tops” – I would retort by saying “No dream is small; it's just that the appetite to accomplish it is big”.
The Synergy Between My Path and Recognition Values
I do not know whether my humble journey is worthy of being seen in the same light as the spirit of the award, but it is my journey, and I am extremely proud of it. We all have our own battles which we fight daily, and unless we walk in someone’s shoes, it is unfair to comment on their journey. What I do believe is that every story needs to be told because we do not know which punctuation in whose life will resonate with us in what circumstance.
The reason why I chose to appear for these set of awards is that someone like me will never opt to write/journal their journey with the fear of being ridiculed or even worse think that their journey is not as extraordinary as others. Sometimes we slay the heroes within us because we didn’t know any better or were not inspired enough to go the extra mile for our dreams.
No one ever retold a story they never heard – the art of telling your story becomes secondary to that act of telling it. My journey has been about the act first rather than anything else. Do it, see it, learn it, try it – rest will take care of itself. Every story doesn’t need to be a “Wah” story, but every “Wah” story is a story. Step out of your comfort zone, pull your head out of the sand, and just try one new thing. Yes might not succeed at the very instant but also yes – you will have the courage to try it once more. That was/is my story even if it isn’t a “Wah” story.