Why Aditya Birla Group is Big in my life
It has been famously said that before one is a leader, success is all about growing them self but when one becomes a leader, success is all about growing others and Aditya Birla Group is the greatest testimony of the same. Spread across 34 countries and anchored by a strong workforce of over 120,000 employees belonging to 42 nationalities, ABG has risen to be a global conglomerate that delivers superior value to its’ customers, shareholders, employees and most importantly the society at large.
ABG has a formidable arsenal of offerings encompassing the world’s second largest telecom operator, owning the biggest value fashion and lifestyle stores in India along with being the market leader in carbon, cement, fabric and aluminum can production across the globe. The reason why the ABG is BIG in my life is because it has a BIG heart as it actively contributes to the social and economic development.
Being closely associated to the healthcare industry, I have witnessed the impact that The Aditya Birla Centre for Community Initiatives and Rural Development brings about in building a better, sustainable way of life for the weaker section of society. Their health care initiatives work in 5,000 villages reaching out to close to 7.5 million people and treating over a million patients every year. More than 5,000 physically challenged people have been provided with prosthetic limbs; over 1,200 children have learnt to smile again by undergoing cleft lip surgeries and 40,000 toilets have been set up by the group by leveraging the government schemes. These initiatives symbolize that amidst a profit driven world that is obsessed with possessions, outward success, publicity and luxury, there is a home grown MNC that transcends the conventional boundaries of business because they care for its workers, the communities they live in and development of the nation.
This fortune 500, US $44.3 billion Company has built its citizenship in the world that is established on doing the right things socially, economically and environmentally. ABG is a true testament of integrating business and employee’s personal values where in their actions count and their views matter which results touching lives in every sphere in a BIG
ABG way.
Overcoming challenges to achieve ambitions in life so far
I was entrusted with an assignment of supporting client conversions to paperless operations across several hospitals as a delivery consultant in Australia by my organization in March last year. For a young healthcare industry enthusiast this was an opportunity of a lifetime that involved working directly with doctors and care givers in a charged hospital scenario. I was having the time of my life learning new things everyday and exploring the island nation post work but when we least expect it, life sets us up for a challenge.
A week before my scheduled return to India my grandfather had a fall. My family went through trying times wherein my grandfather was admitted in the ICU for three months. I was also not keeping well due to my weak immune system. My grandparents are based out of Chandigarh and my father is serving brigadier in the army and was posted at Kolkata. During this time, I decided to take a short sabbatical from work to help my family and get myself treated. I joined my grandparents as my father could not take such a long leave due to the nature of his profession. Besides looking after my grandparents, I went ahead with my treatment and simultaneously prepared for entrance examinations for MBA.
This required optimum utilization of my time, self-motivation, acting as an emotional anchor for the family while maintaining cheerful demeanor and pushing my limits which resulted in my grandfather getting well, my treatment plan moving in the right direction and me putting my best under these circumstances to prepare for my examinations.
Each step during this journey was a more humbling experience than before and came with a new set of learning which transformed me into a more confident and systematic individual. I learnt that perspective is everything when one is experiencing challenges in life and they become obstacles only when we bow to them.