It feels like just yesterday, I was a scrawny self-doubting teenager who still didn't know his aim in life. Fortunately, I grew up to become a confident young man, sure of himself and his ability to take the right decisions. Having worked for both the government and private sector of the Indian economic spectrum, and currently enrolled in a Full time MBA course, I have my eyes set on raising the bar for success.
In order to elevate myself out of mediocrity, I abide by the “power of 5": a set of 5 values that define success for me. Integrity, Commitment, Passion, Seamlessness and Speed. These set of values also form the core of Aditya Birla Group's Vision for each of their businesses.
While employed with Tech Mahindra Ltd, I managed to seek insight into how different components collaborate together to create an organisation. A successful organization should be a well-oiled machine but the gears might still get jammed from time to time. The value of any employee lies in his ability to seamlessly deal with such hiccups and to be able to provide results, No matter how the factors in the equation change. This is where the next chapter in my career started.
The Indian Coast Guard allowed me to shoulder responsibilities in risky situations, and taught me to achieve results with limited resources at my disposal. I experienced, first hand, the importance of commitment and man management resulting in a successful team.
Having spent more than a year at sea, I know the importance of proper planning, and following a schedule, but I am also aware that times of crisis catch you off guard and you end up having to make a split second decision. Disaster management during floods, Firefighting, distress calls from fishermen stranded at sea, I have seen it all. This has prepared me for any problems I might face in life, and things that might seem problematic to some people, seem mundane to me.
I am no stranger to taking authoritative action, having headed an operation to capture and search a Sri Lankan boat that had waded into Indian waters.
Living on a ship, facing the turbulent waters every day, has taught me about brotherhood, the importance of working as a unit, and hard labour. I am not afraid to get my hands dirty and get the work done. All along my journey, the power of 5 has done for me what the Aditya Birla group has done for the uncountable number of lives it has touched.
Imagine a young boy, just trying to make a mark in this world on his way to his first ever interview-clad in a Peter England shirt and tie. The confidence he exudes lands him the job. That young boy was me. ABG is present all around us in some form or the other. My family has lives in the same house for the past 15 years and i might not have lived with them but our connection remains strong, as strong as the walls of our house which haven't showed any signs ageing and we have UltraTech cement to thank for that. And a few years later when i married the love of my life, I was clad head to toe in Van Heusen. ABG has been my lucky charm-present with me in all my special moments.
Now, all of this is enough evidence that the Aditya Birla group is indeed something special. it is the foundation and the benchmark of Indian businesses today, but this not all. As a company, ABG is committed to its focus areas of climate change, health and safety, energy conservation, water conservation, biodiversity and natural resource substitution. It is fully aligned to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
A few years back, while employed as an officer of the Indian coast guard, I witnessed the devastation an oil spill caused to the marine ecosystem, just off the coast of Chennai. We, as a country had plenty of resources to minimise and even reverse the damage caused but sadly, we failed due to cross organisational conflicts and disagreements. The lesson I learnt from this unfortunately incident was that everybody should be ready to make an effort when it comes to saving the environment-the world's wealthiest organisations need to put aside their differences and engage in cross organisational exchange of dialogue to arrive at a solution that would likely impact our planet in a positive way.
As one of the largest global conglomerate, ABG realises the role it can play to create a positive impact in the world and to bring about a change. That is why they have always strived to be economically and environmentally sustainable. The company’s sustainability objectives include employee safety, environmental stewardship, efficient use of carbon black and a key focus on conducting operations in a socially and ethically responsible manner.
This has been my story so far, but this is not the end. I have and will continue to become a force of change to reckon with and I am sure ABG will continue to be a part of my journey in whatever path I choose.