AN OPERATOR

When I joined the pharmaceutical industry after my graduation as a Bio-analyst, there was a laboratory attendant named Raju in our Lab. Raju was very popular amongest all of us because he was adept at many more things besides his work. He was knowing how to prepare standard solutions for calibration curve, he was knowing how to weigh the standard, he was knowing how to label and arrange tubes for bulk spiking, and he was in fact knowing how to even dismantle and clean sophisticated instruments like the HPLC. Being very cheerful and supportive, we used to always call him for help.

With the passage of time, I also learnt how to operate the HPLC and subsequently learnt Bio-analysis. Fortunately I also became very famous, whether it was for developing a method, validating a method, operating an instrument or preparing calibration curves, people started approaching me as well for help. During those days computers were not very common and there was hardly any person in our lab who was having any PC at his/her home. I was very much interested in learning computer and the software’s used in various instruments. I would come during weekends and spend time on the system to learn more about the functioning of software and the instrument operations.

A couple of years later, I got an opportunity to work on LC-MS/MS (mass spectrometry) for Bio-analysis, which was considered as the most advanced technique at that time. We did multiple projects for non-US countries during late 90s and finally did a project with successful submission towards US FDA as well. It was a first ever bioequivalence study conducted in India submitted to US FDA for approval towards product marketing in the US. Subsequently we faced a US FDA inspection which was the first US FDA inspection for any bioequivalence unit in India with successful outcome.

The message which I want to share through this article makes it necessary to mention some of my accomplishments during my early career. When I joined industry in 1995, I was given an independent pilot project after just 17 days of my joining because of my sincerity and dedication towards work. I was selected as one of the analyst for performing Bio-analysis of the first pivotal fillable project done by our organization. I was probably the first person who initiated Bio-analysis in India for a fillable bioequivalence study. I was the first person who was part of first US FDA submission study conducted in India and I was part of team who faced the first US FDA inspection in India for a bioequivalence centre. I remember developing methods on LC-MS/MS in hours rather than days and I also remember opening mass spectrometry instrument and cleaning it like a professional engineer. Operating an HPLC or LC-MS/MS was a cup of tea for me when in fact there were very limited people during those days who were able to operate the LC-MS/MS.

After spending around 6-8 years in the laboratory, my career was not going anywhere despite my accomplishments. Like other people I was also looking for opportunities outside of my organization and was keen to become a manager. Because of some or the other reason, I was not getting that opportunity in my current organization. I started approaching my friends and one of my close friend arranged a job interview for me in a CRO (contract research organization). It was a job for Laboratory manager position and I was excited and quite sure of sealing it. Finally the day of interview came and I was called by the Head of the CRO to his office. When I entered the room for interview, I was on cloud nine with all my accomplishments in mind. The interviewer introduced himself and to my surprise he mentioned that he had heard a lot about me. He also mentioned that the interview was just a formality, in fact they thought that I was the most suitable candidate for that position. I was on top of the world and when he started praising me, I was virtually beyond the boundaries of visible sky.

The interviewer was a very nice person with great knowledge and reputation. He asked me politely, “Arshad, Can I ask you a few questions”? My reply was, yes please. I till date remember each and every question which he had asked me. He started with a very basic technical question which was related to the LC-MS/MS instrument. More than him, I was shocked because I was not knowing the answer to that question. I was still in the skies and I gave an assurance to myself not to worry. But this assurance slowly faded as the interview progressed. He continued with the basic technical questions and believe me I was not able to answer most of the questions. The ones which I was able to answer, were not as per his or my expectations. In those few minutes, I saw myself falling down from those high skies with a loud thud, heard by me only. I was not believing myself, I was not believing the fact that I couldn’t answer those simple basic questions. It was a jolt to me and my soul.

The interview was over and in fact he offered me the job. I requested him to give me few days to think and revert. When I reached home, I couldn’t sleep. On the one hand there was an offer with a handsome increment and on the other hand there was my conscious which was not allowing me to say yes to the offer. There were two questions which were spinning in my mind. One was “Am I really the best as I was assuming? And the second question was that even if I joined the new position, can I face that person who knows that I lack the knowledge. In fact I was a skilled and efficient operator of sophisticated instruments without having the in-depth knowledge. After two days, I somehow mustered the courage and informed my friend that I cannot join. He tried to convince me, however I categorically said NO.

But then there was logic for saying no to such a lucrative offer. I took this as a learning and I decided to enhance my knowledge. I dedicated a diary along with a pen for notes. I downloaded the manual of that instrument and started searching for answers to all those questions which were asked during interview. Since I was operating the instrument for many years, it was very easy for me to get and understand the answers. I was surprised that the answers were so simple and easy to understand. I could realise one important thing and it was that I had abandoned the books. I started reading books, in fact many books. Over a period of time, I read books related to my subject, I started reading books about my religion. I realized that I knew nothing about my religion.

Recently, while making preparations for my workshops on self-motivation, I was browsing through YouTube. I found a video in which a lady asked her audience to clap after counting 1, 2 and 3. She started with count 1 and then 2. Without going for count 3, she clapped and the whole audience started clapping. I liked the video and as an experiment did the same activity in the two?workshops conducted by me which was attended by 39 people. Surprisingly, audience in my workshop did the same thing. Without waiting for the count of 3, they started clapping when they saw me clapping. This activity has a very deep message. We do what we see people do. We do not realize that people whom we are following may not be on the right path. Why can’t we read books, read SOPs, read religion and then follow the books rather than following people. In fact I usually do not go into religion in my writing, but could not resist giving a reference here. We make decisions about a religion after observing people of that religion without noting that those people do not follow the actual religious books rather they follow their elders or their family or their preachers. We get religious teachings through our family and not through authentic books. I am not saying this for each and every individual, here I mean for most of us.

Let us get a bit into psychology. While going to my office, I have to take an expressway and then an exit after a couple of kilometres. During the rush hours, it is a pain to take that exit. I tried to follow the rules a number of times, that is, to stick to my lane while taking the exit, but then more than 95% vehicles were overtaking me using a wrong lane. They reached the exit point much ahead of me and on all these occasions I reached office late. Being a human being, I received a quick signal from my brain, “I am an idiot”. I realized that when all these people can take the wrong lane, why shouldn’t I. Why should I only become a Mahatma (Pious man)? Even though I know the rulebook, I started following the people and believe me, I started reaching office on time. No way am I saying here that what I did was right, but somehow through this example I want all readers to understand the psychology of humans and his/her surroundings. While doing root cause analysis of failures in our lab, many of times I realized that people have not followed SOPs. I was shocked to realize that each time the concerned person told me that instead of referring to the SOP, they went to some senior or to a peer who had worked on that project and asked for the process. Each person reasoned with me that they want to save some time. But they did not realize that instead of saving few minutes, they have not only wasted days but also a lot of money.

We spend a lot of time on social media, watching movies and surfing channels. We fail to realize that we are actually wasting the time which will never come back. We do not realize that this same time could be used in enhancing our knowledge. During one of my workshops, one of the participants told me that he cannot concentrate on reading books. He told me that he gets a headache even after five minutes of reading and it was not the case when he was in college. When we change our routine or want to change our habits, it is not easy and that too when we have attained the age of 25 years. If for years we had abandoned the reading habit, how come it will be easy to adapt that habit suddenly. Even if it is getting into a reading habit, it is necessary that we take baby steps. We should start reading for few minutes every day and then increase the time gradually. We should not confine reading to just weekends because there are many other activities which we plan on Saturdays and Sundays. Being in the corporate world and under tremendous pressure, it is not easy to start this habit of reading. In order to cope with this problem, we should first understand what subject attracts us. We should keep a variety of books in our personal library. Sometimes when we feel bored with one subject, pick-up a book on a different subject.

After this learning and after putting my focus on enhancing knowledge, I am today confident of facing any interview. I can today discuss on many topics. I can speak on many topics. I will keep on enhancing my knowledge and that is the promise which I had made to myself after I declined the job offer. And today at least I can say proudly that I am not just an operator.