Under the Vaarta, 17 series of guest lectures, we recently had the privilege of hosting Mr. Vikram Singh, Vice President, Johnson and Johnson India (Medical Division). Mr. Singh who graduated as a doctor went on to complete his M.D in Internal Medicine. He graduated from the prestigious Maulana Azad Medical College, Delhi and has since been associated with a number of roles within the pharmaceutical industry. He describes working in pharmaceutical’s his calling and subsequent area of expertise. The days topic was, “Making the right Career Choices” which was appropriately named.
The lecture started with Mr. Singh sharing with us his journey as he went on to become a doctor but over the years constructed a career in the corporate sector. How his choices helped guide him to do something considered outside the norm by many. He shared with us certain
mantras or pointers with regard to making the right choices and the learnings that can help guide on through the process of decision making. Owning your career path is the first premise and a building block. We must stand by our decisions and not sway with what many may consider risk. Beyond that comes introspection, which is probably the hardest to do and most important. We must figure out what intrigues us and analyze the options we have available with regard to that. This will help us gauge possibilities and approach one which may seem most optimal to us in the longer run. Most people do not manage to take the right step as they are too afraid to fail. He said that no matter how much damage failure brings, it also teaches what nothing else does. An invaluable lesson. Thus it is very important that we accept our mistakes and own up to the wrong decisions and work hard to correct them.
In terms of contemporary leadership, Mr. Singh Spoke about Learning, Reinventing and Repeating. Three key steps to churning out success when it came to staying at par with the best leadership and managerial capabilities. Transitioning to a leader must take place at the earliest opportunity, this is so that we take the responsibility of the position firsthand and learn to work under the pressure. Often changing organizations seems like it may be key to achieving growth, to this, he said that if you love to work where you do and enjoy it, staying put is the best way to go. Often being patient is of prime importance. Finally, he mentioned how essential family and support is to growing and being successful. How it is important to share with them and make people a part of what you experience.
The session concluded with a personal note from his side wherein he encouraged the students to remain positive and not shy away from venturing into something new and often unknown. It was followed by a lengthy question and answer round from the batch.