I remember the famous words, “The battle of waterloo was won on the playgrounds of Eton”. While not needing a formal education may have its benefits, we can ill afford to neglect the impact of schools on social behaviors and the development of an individual.
Tell us about your background, journey, and upbringing.
I belong to a hill town in Uttrakhand called Lansdowne. It is a small colonial town that is home to the Garhwal Rifles Regimental Centre. I believe that very early in my life my grandfather, who was an extremely perceptible and strict man, would have noticed something different in me and made a decision that would become the foundation of my life ahead.
At the age of 9, I was sent to a boarding school in Mussoorie. For the first couple of years, I tried as hard as I could to get away from the school but failed. So I realized I’d try my hand at becoming somebody at school.
For a young boy, from a town who was not then exposed to the modern world, this was a tough beginning. I really wasn’t good at anything except academics s but I was determined to do well.
The second person who I am indebted for changing my life was my English teacher at the Wynberg Allen School. She, like my grandfather, saw something in me and developed me to become a skillful orator. From then on it was no looking back.
I went on to become the best debater at school, editor of the school magazine, best all-rounder in the school, captain of the hockey team, house captain, and would have been the school captain if not for a stupid emotional decision that I took.
My parents were always very supportive of whatever I wanted to do in life. I have grown up within a joint family and I still believe that the values and experience you gain within the joint family prepare you much better for the life ahead.
My first passion was to join the defense services but I failed to clear the last obstacle. Thereafter I completed a hotel management course and joined Pizza Hut as a Management Trainee in 1998.
My parents were always very supportive of whatever I wanted to do in life. I have grown up within a joint family and I still believe that the values and experience you gain within the joint family prepare you much better for the life ahead.
My first passion was to join the defense services but I failed to clear the last obstacle. Thereafter I completed a hotel management course and joined Pizza Hut as a Management Trainee in 1998.
After spending 8 years there I joined Fortis Healthcare and spent about 7 years there with a short stint with Starbucks Coffee in between. Currently, I am employed with G4S Secure Solutions India for the last 8 years. My current role is to lead the HR and L&D functions for India.
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How did you rise to the highest echelons in your career?
There is no secret recipe to one’s growth in life but from my experience, there are a few things that have worked for me. I still try and follow these in my professional life today.
There is no substitute for hard work. At the beginning of my career, I have done continuous 16-hour shifts to learn and get ahead of my competition. I have not been afraid to take on extra responsibilities because I believe there is no better school for learning than by doing the task.
The second quality for being successful is to be able to contribute and make a difference. If one continues to do what people before you were doing, I count that as days and years of wasted efforts.
Challenging the status quo and ushering in change is a hallmark of all successful people and I have tried to follow that mantra as well in my career Being organized is critical to achieving success. Managing time and resources efficiently has been instrumental in helping me to deliver results successfully and consistently.
Somebody once told me the equation of luck. Luck = Opportunity + Readiness. This has stuck with me ever since. It is important that one is ready to grab the opportunity that comes your way and make the best of it. And remember opportunity does not always come wrapped and labeled, so you need to take on everything which comes your way.
Being a leader and team player is equally crucial. I have tried to lead by example, both in terms of tasks as well as behavior. I have always believed and practiced that as a leader you have to be able to execute each task as efficiently as anyone in the team. As a leader, it is also important to share the credit and accept the blame to gain the respect of the team.
Last but not the least, you cannot plan your life better than God has done for you. There have been numerous instances in my career where God has played his part in helping me choose the right option and veer away from the bad decisions. If you work hard and honest, leave the worrying to the almighty.
Somebody once told me the equation of luck. Luck = Opportunity + Readiness. This has stuck with me ever since. It is important that one is ready to grab the opportunity that comes your way and make the best of it. And remember opportunity does not always come wrapped and labeled, so you need to take on everything which comes your way.
Being a leader and team player is equally crucial. I have tried to lead by example, both in terms of tasks as well as behavior. I have always believed and practiced that as a leader you have to be able to execute each task as efficiently as anyone in the team. As a leader, it is also important to share the credit and accept the blame to gain the respect of the team.
Last but not the least, you cannot plan your life better than God has done for you. There have been numerous instances in my career where God has played his part in helping me choose the right option and veer away from the bad decisions. If you work hard and honest, leave the worrying to the almighty.
What does your typical workday look like?
Irrespective of work from home or office, I begin my day early. I am a self-disciplined person and like to have my life and day organized. Usually, I start my day at 6 with a stint at the gym, return and get ready to work by 9.
A lot of my day is spent on doing routine tasks like anyone else’s but I am constantly thinking of ways how each routine task could be automated to improve efficiency and accuracy. I spend time thinking of and developing solutions to complex situations or problems.
All through my career I have been focused on people development and spend time helping individuals becoming better at what they do. This makes a lot of people reach out to me for guidance.
The routine activities involve approvals, business reviews, studying or publishing reports, brainstorming, recruitment, compliances, governance, people development, complaint, and grievance handling, talent management activities, etc.
It seems onboarding, even in 2021 is a long-drawn-out process behind the scenes. How do you envision this changing in the future?
I agree that onboarding is a long-drawn-out process currently but this needs to change. Like everything else in the business, time is money. Currently, businesses do not seriously evaluate the lost time and opportunity cost involved in recruiting and onboarding.
I agree that onboarding is a long-drawn-out process currently but this needs to change. Like everything else in the business, time is money. Currently, businesses do not seriously evaluate the lost time and opportunity cost involved in recruiting and onboarding.
I am not sure how many are even aware of the process of quantifying performance and taking decisions accordingly on the replacement of an employee or developing an employee.
Currently, companies don’t recruit an individual without going through scores of profiles, interviewing dozens even though finally the first one interviewed may be the most suitable. There is a serious need to streamlining the selection and onboarding process and this is going to happen sooner than you think.
The need is to define organizational and role fit talent definitions and implement tools to shortlist who fit. Then a quick hiring decision followed by an efficient onboarding and induction process.
The need is to define organizational and role fit talent definitions and implement tools to shortlist who fit. Then a quick hiring decision followed by an efficient onboarding and induction process.
Unfortunately organizations today are spending months on identifying and finalizing talent and then even more on onboarding and inducting the candidate. A lot of software is available today that claims to identify and shortlist relevant talent but I believe each organization needs to develop a customized solution to address the long-drawn-out onboarding process.
Several global companies have come out and thrown their support behind not needing a formal education. What is your opinion about this?
I remember the famous words, “The battle of waterloo was won on the playgrounds of Eton”. While not needing a formal education may have its benefits, we can ill afford to neglect the impact of schools on social behaviors and the development of an individual.
I remember the famous words, “The battle of waterloo was won on the playgrounds of Eton”. While not needing a formal education may have its benefits, we can ill afford to neglect the impact of schools on social behaviors and the development of an individual.
Formal education also provides a level playing field and competition for all students and this is where an individual who tends to strive generally thrives. Schools and other formal education platforms are an integral part of one’s development and cannot be done away with. What needs to be done is to change the same to make it more relevant and effective.
What is the best piece of advice you would like to give to those who want to rise in their careers in the corporate world?
Work smart, work honest, and be the change that you want to see in the organization. Challenge status quo always and work on clear and well-defined deliverables. Focus on outcomes and not activities.
How are things changing in your domain, what role will data and information play in the future?
Like everything else, technology is going to play a much bigger part in human resource management in the future. As we realize that every business has costs and efficiencies linked to people, that are not optimum, we will incorporate more technology to bring about improvements.
Like everything else, technology is going to play a much bigger part in human resource management in the future. As we realize that every business has costs and efficiencies linked to people, that are not optimum, we will incorporate more technology to bring about improvements.
Data analysis is already playing a big part in decision-making today and it is just the beginning.
Which is your favorite book and why?
My favorite book is ‘Gone with the Wind’. It is a book of fiction but really teaches a lot of management lessons. This book has taught me that there will be tough times, things will go wrong but if one has the grit and determination to fight the odds, success is ultimately going to come your way.
My favorite book is ‘Gone with the Wind’. It is a book of fiction but really teaches a lot of management lessons. This book has taught me that there will be tough times, things will go wrong but if one has the grit and determination to fight the odds, success is ultimately going to come your way.
One needs to be ready to learn, adapt and utilize the available resources to the most optimum use to achieve the goals.
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