While gyaan (Knowledge) is not the most revered word amongst
many today since it largely has a connotation of a boring lecture, unwanted
sermon to the reluctant. This teachers day, I spent time thinking about my “Teachers
and Mentors” and what I learned from them. The list is long as there are many
who have helped shape my thinking and approach to things on not only how I work
but to some extent also how I live. All this has happened through the knowledge
(gyaan) that was absorbed directly or indirectly and therefore the importance
of gyaan cannot be underestimated. While a lot of learnings have come from
individuals and institutions there are also learnings from things like sports
that demonstrated the unfailing characteristics of how a team is always above
the individual and the ability to be down but not out.
Here are some of the things that I have learned from my
teachers and mentors over the years:-
1. Right Values as a foundation
o Values form the building blocks and provide
for a sound foundation to build up on and there for are far more important for
sustained success than anything else. In fact longevity in a career and an
organization can be built on top of a foundation of shared values that match
well for both the individual as well as the organization. Organizations like
Infosys have been built on this very foundation.
2. Think Big, Experiment and create a vision
for others to follow
o Seldom have incremental things enthralled
people to put their all into it. The important aspect is to see that there is
enough directional validation and move rapidly to create an aspirational view
of the future. People like to see the big picture and then follow through to
achieve it. While course corrections happen along the way as you feverishly and
passionately experiment, it’s important that there is a vision created for everyone
to see right up front and there is tangible movement towards the end goal
consistently.
3. Challenge the limits
o Hindsight is 20/20 or so goes the saying. There
are enough tales of regret where people have failed to live up to their potential
and capabilities and many a times it was just the reluctance to try their best,
try harder, challenge themselves and give it their best shot. Success and
failure may be out of our control but putting our best effort and constantly
challenging ourselves to do the best is definitely in the individuals hands and
can never come in the way or be allowed to be put under a question mark.
4. Do it and learn it for ever
o This was one of my earliest lessons, whatever
I read and heard, it was always insisted that we try things out on our own. In
the manufacturing world, it meant standing in front of a machine that had cylinders
with temperatures in excess of 120 degrees and in our world it means for some
of us zero distance to code, clients etc. The best way to learn something is to
get in to it and do it, if something does not kill, it may be worth trying
after all!
5. Invest in good people even when constrained
o Our biggest asset is our people and I never
have had doubts about this another early learning. The most important
investment therefore is on people – good people. It also means having fast and
effective processes to identify, nurture and invest on the right talent by
challenging them to push themselves towards the shared aspirations and goals.
6. Be the change
o Quite often what we expect from our teams is
not what we ourselves commit and follow, this could be simple operational
things like being on time, submitting reports, timesheets to more tactical and strategic
things like picking up a new focus area that is business relevant each cycle.
It’s important to not only talk but also walk the talk ourselves before we
expect others to follow.
7. Build strong networks
o In the knowledge economy investments are
made and deals are done based on references and the network that you are in, it
can’t be more compelling in our times. It’s important to have the right connect
and this does not remain restricted to leadership roles anymore, today an architect
or a developer would benefit equally from the network as much as anyone else in
the leadership roles.
8. Have no room for negativity
o Negative thoughts and the impact they create
can be devastating to the individuals personal health, wellbeing and overall
growth. It also saps a lot of energy from everyone around. It’s therefore important
to have a positive frame of mind irrespective of the situation and also ensure
that you have good number of positive people around. Try and stay away from skeptics,
gossip mongers and negative folks as much as possible, it can be one of the
best things you can do to yourselves.
9. Create a culture of improvement
o Each year (every couple of quarters if
possible) try and pick up an area for improvement either on the personal front
or on the professional front. I have personally benefited from this over the
past few years, I have been able to improve my work life (became an early
riser), my communication (especially presentation skills), writing ability and
several others. It’s important to invest in our own selves and continue the
process of learning through simple and effective goals for improvement.
10. Compassion for social causes and helping
others
o Our bond to the roots and the society around
us is what keeps us grounded and it’s important that as we grow in our careers
and as humans we do our bit for the society. It need not always be through
donating money, while that is the easiest for most of us to do and there is no
harm if we want to start that way, but stay focused on causes that matter and
contribute in any small way that you can through your expertise, effort as a
volunteer, donations etc.
Like many of you, my early influencers include my teachers
and professors, cousins and friends who through their talk and actions inspired
me to not only challenge myself but also be at it in spite of failures. Once I joined
the work force, the early influences came from managers who had tremendous
knowledge of their craft and specialization but were always willing to share
voluntarily and that made a lot of difference. Today the learnings come from
all round 360 degrees, our managers and leaders continue to influence, at the
same time there are new people that bring something strong and credible to the
table that influences one and the takeaways are powerful enough to ignore at
your own peril. Last but not the least, not to forget some of our family
members who aren’t behind in what they teach us every single day.
Who do you think are the key influencers in your life and
how have they influenced you? Do drop a note and I will be happy to discuss
with you.
