It was 2012, the first year of my engineering. A well-groomed personality (Head of the Student union council) walked into our class for a welcome address. As he concluded his address, where he talked to us about what is expected of us as the newest members of the institution, he left us with 3 words. Aspire Perspire Inspire.
These 3 words, these 3 'spires', have had a huge impact on me as an individual. I still remember the moment I heard them together the first time, only to realize that the impact that these 3 words had when used coherently was much deeper than their meaning. I had known what they meant for years by then, but their use, together, coherently, made a different impact altogether. Later during one of my late-night random google searches in a quest for something interesting, I came across the 5 spires of leadership. Quite honestly, not all of it made sense to me at the time. Filled with many questions about “How”, I continued my quest for understanding the unknown.
Aspire: It was during my engineering, that I realized, that more than anything, the thought of leading a team, a group, a class is what gave me true satisfaction. More than just developing programs and projects for my various assignments as a Computer engineering undergrad, the idea of leading a team of people in achieving a certain common goal was what woke me up early even after several late nights. I aspired to do that in the long term. Lead groups to achieve a common goal.
Perspire: It is not enough to just aspire something. If you truly want to achieve, you need to perspire and generate favorable outcomes. I did realize during my undergrad, that a career in management is what I seek. I enjoyed the added responsibility of not just delivering by yourself but also be responsible for the delivery of your colleagues and teammates. This was something that I realized while organizing several events at the college. But was it enough to understand the organizational structure and work culture of corporates ? I didn't think so and hence even though I was clear with my aim for formal management education, I decided to gain some work experience in a corporate atmosphere before I ventured into the realms of 'Management'. The journey of my work experience wasn't easy. My job demanded me to be available at all times of the day (and night) Such is the story of almost every IT professional. Even though sure about my management post-graduation, I was committed to contributing to the fullest of my work. Several long days and a lot of long nights later, I realized that when you are committed, work is fun! When you enjoy your work, your colleagues become your friends, and when you get an atmosphere of camaraderie, work is what you look forward to. I was fortunate enough to have people like that around me, so even though we perspired, it always felt satisfying. The thought of doing an MBA was always there, but owing to a job that required me to put in at least 14 hours a day and at times much more, the idea of giving CAT with preparation seemed a distant dream. I attempted CAT in the second year of my job. With zero preparation and bare minimum sleep on the day of CAT, thanks to my work life, I managed to score a below-par 73 percentile.
I could see my dream of doing an MBA going farther away. Owing to my family's financial condition it wasn't wise to quit a job, as I was the only earning member of my family. My father, a retired professional and my mother, a homemaker, gave me complete support to pursue my passion. The decision, to quit my job, just a month before CAT, was a big risk for me. It meant, that the only way was now forward. I was leaving a decent paying job, to seek admission to a top institute, where I would be competing with some of the brightest minds of our country just to secure a seat. A GEM profile made sure that it wasn't going to be easy. But I was committed to the idea of pursuing this dream. I took all the effort I could in just the 1 month I got before CAT and managed a percentile of 96 all through self-preparation. Today, as I am admitted into VGSoM, one of the top B-schools, I believe that my aspiration and perspiration have paid off.
Inspire: Not many individuals pay attention to this spire. The spire I feel is the most important one when it comes to leadership. It is in human nature to aspire for things. A majority of individuals who aspire at least attempt to achieve it. Thus, a significant number of those who aspire, do perspire. But there are very few who try to inspire others in achieving their aspirations. Very few people have it in them to think of the bigger picture, where if you succeed, you not only succeed as an individual but also a role model or an inspiration to several others around you. That is what sets the managers and leaders apart. A leader claims victory only when he knows that he has been able to achieve not only his own goals but also enabled his teammates to realize and achieve their dreams.
How Aditya Birla Group is Big in My Life
When it comes to conglomerates, the role of leadership is always under the spotlight. A corporate is often expected to nurture and lend a hand in the progress of the community around. A true leader is the one who recognizes that a corporate will most definitely need money to succeed, but if the community around it were not to benefit from its progress, the success would seem hollow. There are few business houses/leaders in the country where you can see true commitment towards the upliftment of the community around. The Aditya Birla group is one such Indian business house that has considered sustainability and social growth a true measure of their success.
Right from the mobile network, the clothes we wear, and the houses we live in, to financial and insurance services, the Aditya Birla group offers it all. If I were to list down the number of things that the group is a part of, I would probably use up 250 words just stating what one already knows and can be read from the group's website or Wikipedia page. What I would like to focus upon instead is the overall growth of the society where ABG has immensely contributed.
At the beginning of my article, I tried to relate the 3 spires to my story so far. It can be noticed that "perspire" formed a major chunk of it in terms of word count. The reason being, all the aspirations or inspirations in the world would amount to nothing if unaided by perspiration. "Keep putting in the effort before you even think of achieving what you deserve" was something my mother used to say when I was in school. It doesn't sound as interesting as the Hindi anecdote of "
Karm kar, fall ki apeksha mat kar", but it did the job for me. The TATAs and BIRLAs have often been quoted as the biggest industrialist families of India. There have been plenty of movie dialogues, where if you want to compare someone's monetary status, one would often be called as, "
TATA BIRLA hai kya koi?" The point I try to make here is that the only way organizations can do more good is by perspiring in their primary task of running a clean and profitable business. A solid business based on ethical values and principles is important if you want to survive in these ever-changing business scenarios.
The Aditya Birla Group is a testimony to this. It has not just grown as a business but also participated in the overall development of society. Perspiration is what got ABG to a place where it can undertake several activities for the society. The group in itself has touched millions of lives in India through their medical facilities for the needy, their project for model villages and most importantly their focus on education through the development of schools, colleges and even scholarships for the deserving for higher education. The Aditya Birla Group through its community and social activities has touched the same number of lives as the Ultratech Cement today, if not more! ABG has inspired its leaders to do the same and as an organization, it has conspired with all its associates and partners to transpire the dreams of the group and its individual. To quote Mr. Aditya Vikram Birla, "My vocation is to strive continuously, to reach excellence in all spheres of management, by weaving the threads of enterprise, knowledge, experience, ideas, and tasks into a fabric that can be called 'management'." The group has strived continuously to imbibe his thoughts and values into its day to day activities making it one of the top companies, for a Management student/professional to work.
As the country tries to march towards a $5 trillion economy, the country is also focussed on improving human development and sustainability rankings. ABG has been instrumental in driving this change in its capacity. As the group involves itself in over 5000 villages, operates over 50 schools and numerous mid-day meal programs, runs several medical camps while running 20 hospitals across the country, the Aditya Birla Group has truly been a champion for the people and touched millions of lives around the country!
To conclude, I believe that true leaders always try to return things in better condition than received. However, for times when it is not possible, the intent should always be to nurture it and pass it on as received. I believe that this intent, of passing on things in better shape to others than when received by oneself, is a true hallmark of a leader. Something that the ABG has keenly displayed over the past several years.
#VGSoM #IITKharagpur #ABGLPWooMeSeason2 #ABG