InFocus : The coolest, wittiest & most captivating AVP of VBeyond.

Siddharth Khosla being the living proof of a life full of unlimited possibilities has rendered and filtered out the absurdities of life and has taken up every hurdle, impediments, hindrances as challenges he has to conquer.

Travelling to numerous places during his childhood, he has seen life up close and and has followed the thing about a hero, which is; even when it doesn't look like there's a light at the end of the tunnel, he's going to keep digging, he's going to keep trying to do right, just because that's who he is. Extremely determined and the coolest manager of VBeyond, it sure sounds like an interesting combination of traits.            

MYTH BUSTED :

Siddharth :

MYTH : I am very cool and casual.

REALITY : I am someone who pays attention to the world. I am very observant and I see things people think I cannot. I see beneath the pretexts and excuses. I am cool but consciously, knowingly and deliberately. That means a lot of things. That means oceans if only you are able to comprehend. I put checks and barriers where needed and rest of the times, I play along. I am cool but I am very, very serious.

Q : Your attitude towards your team looks very cool and fun yet very hardworking and yielding, is that deliberate or that’s just the way you are? Does it have deeper roots than what people perceive?

Siddharth :

It definitely has. I am patient with people and their inner struggles. I have the patience to wait for the right moment and the courage not to be disappointed with what I encounter. But I have a wall. I draw that wall whenever necessary. I like elasticity but not when it is stretched too far uncomfortably. At that moment of discomfort, I cut it down. So, I give people freedom as long as they are yielding. I have made my ego porous. Openness, patience, receptivity, introspection is everything. That way you interact on a micro level with everything you encounter.

Q : What is your Management style?

Siddharth :

I do not go deep into transactions. I believe in hierarchy. Sometimes it works wonder and sometimes people take advantage of you. Although I would emphasize when the trust account is high, communication is easy, instant, and effective. I think it only makes sense to seek out and identify structures of authority, hierarchy, and domination in every aspect of life, and to challenge them; unless a justification for them can be given, they are illegitimate and should be dismantled, to increase the scope of human freedom.

Rest who try to churn this trait of mine solely into their benefits, I would like to say ; “I know ! I see you. I will get back to you, shortly.”

 I like my management style to be people engaging and transparently communicating on micro and macro levels. Assumptions are the termites of a good team, you do not assume a thing about anyone, you confront them, iron the creases out.

Q : How Recruitment ?

Siddharth :

I was working in HCL before joining VBeyond. I was searching for a job in Lucknow and that is how recruitment dawned upon me through my friends. It was a new profession, a new challenge. I dived right in. You learn something valuable from all of the significant events and people, but you never touch your true potential until you challenge yourself to go beyond imposed limitations. Now It has been almost 9.5 years into recruitment, and I look at a day in far future when I am supremely satisfied at the end. It's not a day when you lounge around doing nothing; it's a day you've had everything to do and you've done it.

Q : What do you consider to be your greatest professional achievement?

Siddharth :

VBeyond. Where it stands now, and where it is going to stand in future. This, I consider my biggest achievement and greatest source of inspiration. I have grown along with the company, and that growth has lots of soil, water and sunlight dedicated to it. And consistency.

Q : What is your take on professional conflicts ? What should one do in case a conflict arises ?

Siddharth :

Do not think of knocking out another person's brains because he differs in opinion from you. It would be as rational to knock yourself on the head because you differ from yourself ten years ago.

Listen with curiosity. Speak with honesty. Act with integrity. The greatest problem with communication is we don’t listen to understand. We listen to reply. When we listen with curiosity, we don’t listen with the intent to reply. We listen for what’s behind the words.

Conflicts are bound to happen at work, at home or anywhere you be. It absolutely has to. I never utter anything irrational or unprofessional while it happens. I hear things out. I am not aggressively seeking to strike another person’s opinion down. I am patient, then as well. We don't get harmony when everybody sings the same note. Only notes that are different can harmonize. The same is true with people.

Q : Where do you derive your strength from when you are at a tough spot?

Siddharth :

I cannot sit in that mental block. I feel the toughness of that spot is indirectly proportional to your ability to forgo. You can let go of something that is stripping you off peace or be dragged by it. One cue could be distracting yourself. Sometimes, you need to realize you are not there to win the battle ; you are there to end it.

Q : Tell us about your transformation and fitness regime ? What kept you motivated and what triggered it ?

Siddharth :

The trigger points were many including health issues and those 30 extra kilos on my body. It was sudden. One day I just woke up and decided to take over. I hired a trainer who helped me lose around 16 kgs in 3 months. It doesn't begin in the gym with a dumbbell; it starts in your head with a decision. A firm decision. For 1.5 years I left sugar in any form, took a high protein diet, and did all it takes. Motivation came from the good health and shape that I was in and how it made me feel. Ambivalence is one of the biggest enemies of change. If you aren't sure that you really want to take action on something such as your weight, ambivalence will usually win. Go against it and you will see.

Ending on such an inspirational and highly motivating note, I hope you enjoyed reading about Siddharth Khosla and take away and learn from him, as much as I did. Be patient, diligent and invincible in whatever challenge life throws at you. The best teachers are those who show you where to look, but don't tell you what to see. Look yourself, find your own learning. You can write to us about this interview at : [email protected] / [email protected]