The ubiquity of the Aditya Birla Group.
It was 2016 when I completed my graduation in engineering, and immediately after, I made a decision to let go of a career in the I.T. field and instead join my family business. As an impressionable young man, I wanted to work in an environment where I could maximize my learning and exposure without getting stuck in a narrow vertical domain. Three years later, I am in IIM Ranchi still trying to maximize my learning, and I am very proud of my decision to join the family business three years ago.
The biggest reason for my pride in my work experience is because of the simple fact that I got to work in close association with the Aditya Birla Group. It is the most value driven company I have ever worked with and has given me insights into how smart and efficient and responsible management can be. Each and every employee magically embody the core values of this giant organization, and my learning would be incomplete without them.
The day I wore a Louis Philippe (a part of Aditya Birla Group) suit to present the best version of myself in a presentation to a certain officer of Hindalco Industries Ltd.(again, a part of Aditya Birla Group), I realized that it was Aditya Birla’s world that I was living in. In fact, I was drinking water repeatedly before the presentation because I feel thirsty when I am nervous and I was extremely nervous at the prospect of exchanging ideas with someone representing an eminent organization like Hindalco. In the process, I couldn’t help but think about Grasim Industries’ unnoticed but massive contribution in the supply of drinking water in this country of 1.2 billion. I will say it again. We all are living in Aditya Birla’s world. We just have not noticed it yet.
Old challenges shaping new personalities.
After completing graduation, I was faced with the choice of either joining a corporate job that I had I secured from campus placements or joining my family business to run a newly incorporated business unit. After much contemplation, I decided to pursue the latter where the major part of my work was to manage production in the factories. As a part of my role, I was tasked with leading a team of rural laborers. As someone with a privileged and ensconced upbringing, it was my biggest challenge. I was aware of the importance of achieving ‘unitarism’ in an organization, which meant I had to bring everyone on the same page and give everyone a shared dream and mission. This required me to operate out of my comfort zone and break barriers of caste, class and culture. I was initially full of apprehensions and had to handle unforeseen events. It was only my third month in the factory when one day three laborers asked me for a long leave because they had contacted a disease similar to pox and they had been advised by the local witch-doctor to cure themselves by chanting prayers and not exposing themselves to sunlight for a long period of time until Basanti Puja(a religious festival). Surprised and saddened at the same time, I tried to dismantle their superstitions and take them to a licensed medical practitioner to help them. But the barriers of culture are seldom broken so easily. My care for them which was misconstrued as disregard for their religious sentiments led to a strike, which was mitigated after a lot of trouble. That day I learnt the important lesson of being more tactful in handling situations. Also, destiny taught me that empathy without tact never helps. I used my lessons wisely, and I can happily report that the organization has attained break-even point and is operating happily with a vibrant family of employees from different strata of society.