TO 'B' OR NOT TO 'B'

When I was fresh out of college, higher studies from a ‘Top B School’ was one of the top things on my bucket list. The India Today Magazine that featured articles on Top Schools were my favorite edition.

As time passed, I went on to get a job and the ‘B School Dream’ took a back seat. I met a lot of people street smart, amply blessed with the gift of the gab, different bent of mind, practical approach to problems and solutioning and I was fortunate to work with them and witness first hand their sense of optimism, discerning ability, intellect, sense of reasoning, adaptability and guess what? they weren’t from distinguished schools. I learnt a lot from them primarily because everybody from the senior most to junior resources were treated with the same candor. I learnt my first lesson of 'equality', being grounded, being on the same ground with peers and your team alike in my first stint. So there we were closing roles as a team and having 'intellectual' discussions at lunch and there started my journey of a real time classroom.

Over the years, with every stint and the people I met, my horizons broadened. Every experience, every interaction, each screening call, each negotiation, each interview gave me a better insight into what goes on in the mind of an individual. How can processes be made simpler and thus better. What makes people tick? What might not work as an incentive for people to stay and that the end goal can be achieved with the varied working style of an individual if we looked at it from a different perspective too. My learning continues...

I find that I learn each day when I think of ideas that enhance my existing processes in my day to day. 

I smile each time when the candidate that I hired, walks across to my workstation to share his achievements or a job well done in his area of work.

I feel the adrenaline rush when our toughest tech panel gives me a thumbs up on a candidate we listened to our gut and set up a discussion for.

I contribute when I educate to my stakeholders on market intel to find the right resources 

I feel grateful when a candidate sends us a 'Thank You' note for a well designed structured interview process. 

I feel honored to be working with the likes of extremely talented individuals who come each day to work to give their best shot.

I feel privileged to be able to stay ‘current’ and to be part of the change in the face of innovation and the ‘future of work’ .

All these experiences humble me and I wonder if I would learn this in a classroom or will ‘analytically studying the predictive behaviour of the millennials’ give me a better understanding of it? Will attending events with distinguished personalities and adding certifications to my list of accomplishments on my resume or on public forums add value to my profile? 

I cannot rule the possibility of the chances of a situation that holds a promise of a better version of myself that can help contribute more perhaps? OR I don’t know the answer to that question today, but while I seek the answers one thing that stands out in my head loud and clear is this “Chase excellence and all the success in the world will be yours”

Maybe one day I will tick that dream on my bucket list or maybe not, until then the world is my school and the people with their varied experiences add value to my journey!