I joined Mu Sigma in 2016, one of the best companies to work for in the data analytics space. Apart from learning the art of aiding business make decisions driven by data, Mu Sigma teaches you about yourself. That’s what I learnt the most in my 3 years there. It was the right start for my career, as it carved out a very steep, yet beautiful learning curve. After working for 2.5 years across various business verticals across multiple geographies, I decided to pursue MBA, and I got selected at T.A. Pai Management Institute. I had 6 months before I could leave Mu Sigma to start my MBA life, and I wanted to make the best out that time. Around that time, I got the opportunity to play the role of a team lead, where I would be leading a team of 4 freshers in the company. The challenge was that the work that was going on in that team was something that I had never worked on before. I had zero experience in that domain, and it had nothing to do with any of my past experiences in my previous teams. Although I jumped at this opportunity, willing to test my limits, the first two months were a disaster. I had no clue about the work that was going on, the 4 freshers in my team required my assistance badly, and I was unable to help them. I simply did not understand how to tackle the infinite challenges thrown at me on a daily basis. Every day was different and unpredictable, with newer varieties of challenges. Being the lead, I felt helpless and disappointed that I was unable to add value. At this time, I happened to attend a session about Emotional Intelligence, and it was there that it hit me. The problem was not the new role or the new type of work. The problem was me. It was the Golem effect in action. My fear of not being able to cope up was the reason why I was unable to perform to my fullest. I knew I was capable, but was not self-motivated. As soon as I realized this, things suddenly became easier. And in the next 4 months, I transformed from a completely de-motivated team leader to a super enthusiastic lead that my team members looked up to. I was awarded by my manager for my performance. My client got emotional when he heard I was leaving, and he was kind enough to write me a recommendation on LinkedIn.
I left the company with a heavy heart, but as a proud employee for finally transforming myself into the leader that I wanted to be. It was the right signal for me to kickstart my MBA journey, and here I am, finally writing this from the beautiful campus of TAPMI, with two amazing years to look forward to.
Why Aditya Birla Group is big in my life
People like some brands. People love some brands. And people resonate with some brands. Loyalty to a brand comes as a natural by-product when you resonate with it. And I am one such person who resonates with Aditya Birla Group.
Aditya Birla Group, like in almost every other person’s life, has been a part of my life, right from the day I was born. Even the most ignorant person would find it a near impossible challenge to not have come across Aditya Birla Group at some point in his life. The first time that I heard of this brand, as a child, was when people around me used to talk about the “Birlas and the Tatas”. Being a Tamilian, I used to hear “Periya Birla nu nenappa?” quite often (which translates to “Do you think you are the great Birla”?). Such was the legacy that the brand had. And it stuck to me. Soon, I noticed that anything and everything around me had something to do with the Birla group. Be it the sacks of cement around me, or my father’s Van Heusen and Louis Philippe shirts, or the pride that one took in purchasing from Pantaloons showrooms, suddenly I was overdosed with the Aditya Birla brand. And it has not stopped until now, nor will it in the near future. All this got me thinking, how does one company manage to have a hand in almost every business that you can think of? Even the Idea network, that most of us have been grateful to, for such affordable prices when affording internet was considered a luxury. Such diversity. Such relevance to the society. Such passion.
And that’s how I want people to talk about me. That’s how I want people to remember me. I take inspiration from ABG, and I want to write this quote that I am reminded of when I think about ABG.
“Do it with passion or not at all”
