"In 20 years of being at work, I have lost my cool three times and each time for a good reason.”
These are the words of the chairman of a $ 44.3 billion conglomerate employing over 120000 employees in operations spread across 35 countries of the world. Yes, he is none other than Kumar Mangalam Birla. Taking over the company way back in 1995 when he was just 28, he spearheaded the company’s fortune with his strong business acumen helping ABG increase it’s turnovers by more than 20 times making it the 3rd largest conglomerate in India. Mr. Birla attributes this achievement to the quality of keeping emotions out of work and treating the business like a game of chess which can only be won in the absence of emotional upheavals. But after all the accolades and achievements Birla still says
“There is always so much more one can achieve."
This is the philosophy which lingers in the DNA of this multi-billion dollar enterprise. The company’s insatiable hunger to achieve excellence in every field it forayed has helped it to become the largest producer of rolled aluminum, carbon black and viscose staple fiber worldwide. Making strides in establishing it’s supremacy in the Indian market ABG’s Ultratech Cement and Vodafone IDEA JV are already the industry leaders. The sheer size and the diversity of the product portfolio ensure that at some point of time your paths will cross with one or more of ABG products and you are sure to be left wondering
“Why didn’t I try it earlier ??”.
One of my very first association with ABG products take me back to my school days and makes me nostalgic about the times when I looked forward to the tiffin box in my schoolbag with would have delicious parathas, kulchas or sandwiches neatly packed in
Freshwrapp foils. How a metal sheet was able to keep the food so fresh and the parathas so soft and delicious never failed to amaze me! Years have passed by, I stay far away from home now but even today every time I place a food order I get piping hot food delivered to me in a
Freshpakk Aluminium Foil container. In a way, nothing has changed! For a really long time now I and my family members’ health care expenses are covered by ABG’s Health insurance so that we don’t need to worry about the finances and live life to the fullest with our loved ones. My formal and smart casual attire needs are for long catered by brands like Peter England, Van Heusen and Allen Solly and most of the time I pick it up from Pantaloons stores which offers amazing discounts and loyalty reward programs. With ABG’s Forever 21 opening up new stores all over the country I am sure my wardrobe is going to get a fresh new feel. Working with an automotive manufacturer I got to know how important copper is for the automotive industry. The top-notch quality of Birla Copper helps produce High purity copper wire harness systems which power crucial vehicle systems such as the ECU, lights and the Satnav systems.
ABG is intertwined with each and everyone’s life in some way or the other and every day it truly strives to
“Take India to the World”
“Well, I think the golden rule I can think of is the fact that you must follow your passion and do something that's close to your heart. And I think that that's very important, well, to be successful and to be happy.”
The words of Mr Birla has a great significance in my life because I was raised in a small township in a remote part of the country and there weren’t many resources available at my disposal in terms of personal development but I think my passion to achieve excellence helped me to become one of the best in the field of academics. Even today my heart fills with pride when I reminisce the look in my parents’ eyes when they got to know I was the district topper in my Class 12th CBSE. From being the first engineer in my family to fulfilling my dream of becoming a mechanical engineer and finally getting into one the most prestigious B-Schools of the country my hard paid off in the best possible ways. My fascination for automobiles and my dream of being a part of a leading automotive OEM was fulfilled when I got placed. My passion for excellence has fuelled me all my life and I have never settled for something lesser than what I deserved.
As ABG has a strong focus on the peer network so is mine. Since my childhood, I have interacted with people from very different background and cultures. A Bengali by birth I come from the City of Joy and have traveled to three of the seven sisters and got to experience the breathtaking beauty of the region and the kind and loving nature of the people. Then I went down south to Chennai for my job and got acquainted with the rich culture and heritage of the region. Now at SPJIMR, I am getting the opportunity to interact with the very best minds of the country. So yes, I have interacted worth a lot of different people and I think it’s the synergy among the different people that makes a great team and a great workplace. I have handled situations of conflict within teams and every time we resolved the issue we came back with even stronger team dynamics. As Mr. Birla rightly says,
“The one important factor that keeps me going is the kind of people I work with.”
One very important value that I try to live by is
“Without a solution you are just another individual with an opinion”. I came across this in a wall poster in my manager’s cabin and has made a deep impact on me helping to change my outlook towards problems.
Structuring my thoughts, introspecting on my plans and working hard to accomplish my goals has helped reach where I am today and I do not plan on stopping anytime soon working on new challenges and opportunities. To put it into words of Harvey Mackay,
“A great accomplishment shouldn't be the end of the road, just the starting point for the next leap forward.”