Breaking The Shackles

The title of this post, is probably what I would have liked my autobiography to be christened. But, lets face the truth. My autobiography may never be penned!(Or would it?). Hence, I thought of sharing my eventful journey through this post, of what I feel is "A Life Less Ordinary" (Uh..That was the second title I had thought of, for my autobiography!!)

21st April 2019... I completed fifteen years since I moved out of my family business to carve a path of my own.. I am the ONLY individual in my family of over a 100 people (Yeah.. A really BIG , FAT, Gujju family!) to step out of the family business & take up a job! So, I sit here today, jogging down memory lane .. And ask myself, "Was it worth it..?" Lets see...

21st April 2004. My first day at my first job. At one of the best organizations in the country. This might sound like a day in the life on any young post graduate fresh out of B-School. But it was different. Because I was taking up a "job" after spending 10 years in my family business! So the FALL from being the Retail Head of our three showrooms, to being a senior executive (the second lowest designation in the hierarchy) in a multi national, was felt with a real thud! Also, typically, people graduate, get a job, get married & start a family. But the chronology of events in my case was reverse! I graduated, got married, had our daughter & then went out & got a job!

When I left my family business I told my dad to give me two months to figure out if this is what I wanted to do.. He was pretty confident that I'd be back in the business in less than a month.. He was confident that I could never report to someone else & that I was too addicted to the comforts of my family business! And actually, I thought the same as well.. Well, its been fifteen years & I still haven't gone back. Both of us were proved wrong! Well, the first two years of my stint in the corporate world, were nothing short of a roller coaster! I was in an industry which was growing in double digits monthly! I had to deal with pressures I had never seen before. And I had probably got the toughest boss one could have asked for. Trial by fire, so to speak! There have been several nights that I cried myself to sleep, wondering if I had made a blunder by leaving the royal life that my family business gave me. There was just one thing that made me hold on & go through the ordeal.. I asked myself two questions, that I have never stopped asking myself throughout my career... "Am I learning something new ?" ... "Is the job adding value to my growth as a professional & a person?" And the answer to both these questions were a vehement YES!! And I hung on...

The decision to hang on reaped rich dividends, as my self confidence sky rocketed, and it gave me an opportunity to unlock my potential, which I never knew existed! I was promoted within 11 months .. And never looked back ...

This was the first time in my otherwise very protected life, that I felt I was well & truly breaking the shackles of my comfort zone!

After that I spent 8 years with the competitor of my first company .. An "Idea", that did change my life :) I traversed the journey from being an Asst. Manager to reaching the level of a Vertical Head. Those 8 years, rather two of those 8 years, are what I would say the BEST years of my corporate life. The year was 2007. I had pretty much made up my mind to quit the job, as there was no value it was adding to me. But I was regarded as one of the best performers in the team, and my manager sensed that I was not getting challenged enough. And he took a decision that in all probability changed the course of my career & I dare say, revamped me personally as well. I was made Manager and handed over a 24 member team across Maharashtra & Goa! This, for someone, who has never led a single person in his career! It was seriously overwhelming. Honestly, I never considered myself to be leadership material.. Various instances in my personal life that had instilled this firm belief. And that is what exactly made me try that much harder. I took up the challenge head on, amidst a team that didn't want me as their leader & peers waiting for me to fail! What seemed to be the toughest assignment of my career actually turned out to be the most memorable one! I had named our team "The Dream Team"..Not only did I manage to break all records as far as delivering what we were expected to do, but more importantly I was able to win the trust of an otherwise skeptical team, to the extent that, even after a decade, I am still in touch with them ...Hopefully as a friend for life. This stint of two years taught me more about leadership & people, than all the books I read! The lesson I carried was that to be a good leader, there is just one thing that matters.. Integrity! In everything that you do. It may not pay off in the short term, but eventually, it is the only thing that counts. It outlasts all the successes & failures, because eventually people remember you for the person you were. Another very important lesson I learnt was that leadership is not a popularity contest. I was never the most popular leader, neither did I aspire to be one. I learnt that a leader is the one who has to tell you something you don't wanna hear, but is good for you. I always genuinely cared for my team members, professionally as well as personally.

This phase of my career probably broke the strongest of the shackles that had captured my heart & mind for several years. That I could never be the one people could look up to. That I could never be a leader worth his salt. That I could never be someone worth remembering. Shall always be eternally grateful to my "Dream Team" for making me believe that my fears were unfounded. And that I belonged... Because little did I know, that in times that were to follow, I would have to keep looking back at these two years to draw confidence from. And if it weren't for this oasis that I keep running to, I would have faded in the deserts of time...

I ended my fairy tale romance with my second organization after 8 amazing years. But, all my relationships, with people or organizations, always end with heartburn. For me. Although I had achieved more than I could have ever dreamt for, there was this piercing pain.. Of not feeling valued. Whereas I am putting down the shackles I have broken, this is one I am yet to break! One where I feel valued. By people I work with, my colleagues, bosses & team members, organizations I give my blood, sweat & tears to... I've learnt the bitter truth, that people value designations more than people..Make no mistake, I have been given more than my due in terms of recognition, rewards, growth .. The works! But, Ye dil maange more..! I am referring to being valued as a person, more than as a professional.. Feeling valued, is a gift I am yet to receive.. Might seem silly to be feeling this way, but, Kya karein .. Dil to bachcha hai ji..!

.. And I moved in quest of finding something that would fulfill this very need. I was told that I am making a suicidal move by quitting a job like this where I was at the top of my game. But, I was never one to "plan" my career moves. I simply followed my heart. And that can be traumatic most of the time! And it was. But I believe I am destiny's child. And as she would have it, I happened to accidentally land a teaching assignment. The same feeling that I had in 2007, of being completely incapable, rose to the fore. But, once again I mustered up the courage to face my fears. And today, 6 years later, I have taught in over 25 management institutions & have also managed to make a career switch to something that I truly love doing!

And my teaching stint at one of those 25 institutes, has brought me to where I am today. At a small, but breathtakingly beautiful campus tucked away in a cozy corner of a massive township. I broke away from the corporate world to do something I truly love. To go to work everyday with the hope & excitement of generating new ideas, enjoying every minute of the day and most importantly making a difference to the world. And what better way to make a difference , than to shape the leaders of the future! I have spent close to four years in my current role, which started as a visiting faculty & took me right to becoming the C.E.O! For the first time in my life I actually look forward to Mondays! Work, hardly feels like work, and I am well & truly LOVING what I do! I can safely say that, I am living my dream!

The same people who thought I was crazy to give up on a seemingly glittering corporate career, are now asking how they can do something that I am! I am so happy that I broke out of the shackles of archaic conventions of how to go about one's career & took some bold risks.. Because actually, to me, not taking a risk, seems like the biggest risk! Cos' it would mean, living a life less fulfilled...

So, if you've actually managed to read this far, then all I'd like to say is that, through my own journey, I can promise you, that God did not make us to be limited by the so called shackles of norms, practices, traditions, rituals... Adhering & submitting to the "acceptable" way of building your career, or for that matter leading your life. You are your own master.. So, please start acting like one.

To conclude I'd like to share my favourite lines from a poem written by Robert Browning,

"...Ah, but a man's reach should exceed his grasp, Or what's a heaven for?"

Go ahead... Take that bold step .. Break the shackles... Live Every dream!

Carpe Diem! :)