Brands like Louis Philippe, Allen Solly, Van Heusen, Peter England were a fascination being a teenager. The advertisements were so upscale that up until my twenties, I was under the impression that these were foreign brands. One fine day, by dint of Wikipedia, enlightenment dawned that these were the children of the same parent. More importantly, these were Indian brands and I remained in awe in how Aditya Birla Group is taking India on a global trot. With time I came to know the prowess of the group in the cement business, textile business, telecom and financial sector. The more I read about them, the more intrigued I was. Reaching out to millions through varied channels is not everybody’s game.
I sat for CAT in 2017, and went through. Got in to an IIM. The most important realization happened when I got the chance to do an in depth study of the ABG group in my MBA. The synergy in their corporate strategy and the operational strategy is why I think ABG makes an impact on me. Any conglomerate operates in multiple verticals, but the synergy of all the verticals is what makes ABG unique. When we talk about integration, be it vertical or horizontal, I think ABG did it like a boss. The choice of business to enter into, and at what step to enter and how to enter is something that I learnt a lot from ABG. In a nutshell, I can say that from the strategy design at the top level to the implementation downstream, ABG is someone to learn from.
Some people see hurdles as a puzzle to solve for. Some see obstacles as an opportunity to grow. Others see obstacles as threats. Still others see obstacles as meaning they cannot succeed. My view of achieving my goals is to live in the obstacle until the fear or uncertainty subsides down. In the process, stay amidst and delay the process. By the time actual problem arises it’s only a fraction of what it seemed in the beginning. Then the solution becomes easy. If we see obstacles as the world being against us or as meaning we failed, then we are likely to be overwhelmed with painful thoughts and difficult emotions when faced with blocks to our goals.
Perhaps we don't really experience thoughts when faced with an obstacle. Maybe we immediately experience fear or shame. Fear tells us to escape the situation that we are in danger. Shame urges us to hide. If the situation isn't one in which we need to be afraid or ashamed, these emotions get in the way of our overcoming obstacles. Either our thoughts or our emotions or both can lead us to stop working on our goals. The idea is simple and that’s what I have followed through and through. The first instinct is to stay in the game and keep absorbing the pressure. Initially everything looks hazy and exaggerated. With time, unfurling happens and I have realized that every obstacle that I faced was actually a small entity which draws it strength from under confidence on the subject’s part. I would say being confident and staying in the game till the end is all what I did to overcome problems.
#ABGLP #IIMRaipur #ABGLPWooMe #Operations #Consultant #Strategy
