Crucial Success Skills Forged Through My Journey
I always believe that “A leader is born not created”. A leader is who sets by example, co-participate with members and owns the failure & holds the team responsible for success. This is what I am by practice. To me the ‘human values’ always take precedence to prioritize the Emotional Quotient than the Intelligent Quotient. Through my upbringing in a defence environment (my father is a retired Indian Air Force Officer), I get the discipline and focus bestowed upon me organically and am always thankful to my parents for this value ingrained upon me, where I was always taught to do my own work than depend on others and at the same time ‘respect each of the fellow humans regardless of caste and creed for all are working hard respectfully to earn their livelihood’.
This makes me self-efficient in my own little way of my life. By nature, I am a creative person for having a keen knack in music and dance. Though not trained formally, I have been performing on-stage on Indian classical dance forms since the age of 3. My mother being my Guru, she has always been my inspiration. Have been fortunate to contribute to the well being of ‘Special Children’ by performing in fund raisers. For this I will always be grateful to the supreme power to enable me with an opportunity. I have been more a mentor to my team than their manager or people manager so to say. I strongly believe in spreading knowledge, because until you transfer your knowledge your team will not grow and if your team doesn’t grow you don’t.
Crafting Creative Opportunities from Every Challenge
Let me begin from my childhood. Coming from an environment where your father was away on war front where family is completely unaware of their position and well-being, one has to be strong minded and positive in each aspect of life. Because, hope never fails but doubt and anxiety does. This approach somewhere got engraved in my mind that helped me when I stepped into the outer world. I did my engineering in electronics from Nanded university that was far away from my parent’s place at Delhi. Having an adjusting nature, I could easily dwell with my fellow students, hostel group, and professors. Even though, many of my fellows made a massive hue and cry on quality of stay and food, while I always the comfortable one because I trust that where I am, how I am and What I get to eat is always a blessing. One must always be thankful to the greatness of amenities each of us blessed with. “Give the world the best you can and best will come back to you” – Mahatma Gandhi.
While in my 3rd year of engineering I met with an accident and had head injury leading to severe reactions. To my surprise the entire college (Students and professors) joined hand raised funds and arranged for my treatment allowing my parents staying far away to relax and keep calm. I trust this was an outcome of my cooperative nature. In the year 2000, I got an opportunity to visit UK and represent Indian classical dance forms post my graduation as an engineer. Unfortunately, 6 months before I planned to travel, met with another severe accident followed by a rod insertion in my hand leaving me bed ridden for about a year and a half. This led to delay in getting employment and being physically incapable to dance during this phase. It was my strong believe and motivation that helped me to stand back against all odds. It was definitely because of the strength my mother always transferred to me. Let me share a brief, why? This is probably the most impactful phase of my learning. My mother suffered for advanced stage of cancer, when detected doctors gave few moths as survival. However, she promised back to the doctors to live for at least 10 years to let her kids settle in life….and she lived for next 9.5 years fighting against all pains (beyond human capacity) smiling, sharing energy and counselling fellow patients. I am survivor from a survivor!
My Impact
As mentioned before, I am more a mentor than a manager. I have been fortunate to have great supportive team members all through my life where I act as a sponge to consume and learn to let them learn, and vise-e-versa. I try to contribute to the society well-being in whichever little way I can. I feel this is very important for each of the humans who are blessed to have amenities and live in a better space of the world should also gift back to the nature, humans and animals’ whichever way one can. Be it sharing food, clothes, nurturing nature and happiness. One must be compassionate to others. The smile that I give on others heart directly touches mine and believe me there is no material in the world that can give this much of peace.
Throughout of my life I have been self-made. Being an expert in ITIL (IT Service Management), I started my career where I did not know any nuances of the corporate. However, through my perseverance, zeal to learn and stick to discipline made opportunities for myself. I strongly believe if you have talent, and have the ardour to learn then no one can stop you. Sooner or later, you will grow and get your worth. I fight against all odds of competitiveness, and stand still with pride today. My aim is to ensure under privileged children should be given opportunity to eat healthy and learn well, for they are being part of the future of our planet. I hope to continue with this drive and involve as many people as possible I can.
Scaling New Heights in Personal and Professional Triumphs
Success is not final; failure is not fatal: It is the courage to continue that counts. Hence, I never view success as an achievement but a benchmark to grow. The success ladder must have a pausing step to grow and analyse “what I did, how did I do, what could have been better for the next step”. One fundamental that I always follow and ask each of the members in my professional or personal world is that “it is ok to commit mistake, it is important to attempt and learn from the mistakes for not to repeat them.” This has made a huge impact in trusting my spirits to ensure I do well and also build a trust layer with my team members making them feel non-hesitant and confident to reach out to me as their leader and discuss challenges openly.
For an organization to grow it is utmost important to let its members grow, get an opportunity of blame-free and trusted environment to ideate and apply thoughts to actions. This is a conceptual cocoon that I create for my team members and not let them to work under pressure. A basic thought but very effective one. Agility is a necessity to growth. Prioritization of actions is important, and taking planned steps one at a time is the mantra to success. Once reached on step 1, assess and analyze on the actions performed and create path for step2, and so on. Creating high objectives with realistic analysis never works.
The Synergy Between My Path and Recognition Values
Professionally, having completed over 2 decades of rich & extensive experience in IT Service Management & Auditing, IT Infrastructure Management, Program Management and People Management. I have set an example in the industry I work for focus towards knowledge, skill and perseverance. Personally, I consider myself a contributor to the well-being of the society. I feel equally proud and happy to stand amongst such eminent achievers whose stories are an inspiration and opportunity for others to learn. Would feel content if my story touches even one person in need of light in life.
Life is an experience, a book with empty pages for us to write and shape-up ourselves for what we will be or want to be in future. We can either be snatchers to quick success but fall eventually or be givers to take more so that the vessel names life keeps growing. It is up-to us and purely us to build our societal stature and career path. Life is a box of chocolate, and you never know which flavor is coming next for you. So, one must always be prepared for each phase of life, welcome each good and bad experiences with equal stride and make this as an opportunity to grow from there. I feel blessed to be an influencer to many and transfer what I have learnt in life (both personally and professionally) to make space within me to learn more….and shall keep learning to embed more knowledge to transfer till I have the capacity to. Thank You!