Perspective is everything: Turning the tables on the lockdown

After celebrating 74th #IndependenceDay, was wondering if I’ve gained my rightful independence. Have I cocooned out of complacency to earn my rightful freedom? Have I fulfilled those promises that I’ve made to my younger self? And, this got me to thinking and unearthing, one memorable moment after another. In no time I was revisiting my life in college where I laid the foundations to my career and personal self. While I reminisced and relived the good old days, I had an epiphany of how different life is going to be for the new generation of employees. Most students until last year celebrated college and their first jobs with great fervour and flair, things today are significantly different now.

Earlier this week during an interaction with students from my alma mater BITS Durg, where I took them through a few lessons of leadership that I’ve learnt from my seniors. Nearly two decades of my professional journey with several consumer electronic MNCs, I have navigated from being a Technical (R&D) professional to Techno-commercial (CEO) leader. Learning it the hard way, leadership for me is built through Character, Capability and Consistency. The aspiring leaders of tomorrow need to be Ambitious – set clear, focused goals; be Resilient – turn adversities to opportunities; and most important be Humble. This, in my opinion sets a leader apart from the rest.

I can go and on about the session but, one thing that stood out very clearly from the invigorating session is that we as individuals, as leaders will always remain students at heart. Learning from every one, every day. Therefore, in this leg of my musing (you can read the earlier part here), I want to reach out to all the young aspiring minds to understand their perspective.  

My son, who’s also a young professional and only one year into his professional career sees a stark difference in how things have changed for a college student who is graduating to join the professional world. In our regular chats and conversations about the situation, we discussed about how this new generation of employees are going to lose out on a lot of the excitement. The excitement of working in a new office, looking up to your manager and sharing these experiences. These conversations drove home a few other realities and truths on this subject.

We were both of the opinion that while some of you – starting off your careers - are going to miss a few typical aspects of a new job, you’re also going to bring to the table most unique mind-set ever. I’m really in awe of this generation because you’re showcasing some amazing attributes even in testing times – you simply haven’t let yourselves down. You have chosen to stay positive and persevere even in these circumstances and I can’t wait to interact and understand your perspective on things. Our collective knowledge is going to be the greatest strength in building a better tomorrow.

While there are a lucky few that made it through to the corporate world, we have to acknowledge that there are still many more waiting in the wings, anxious of what is going to be. The health of our economy might not be where we want it to be, but as always, in times of hardships, there’s always a silver lining. Digital tools have not only changed the landscape of the corporate ecosystem, but also the learning ecosystem. Those of you on the hunt can utilise the extra time to stay productive and add to your experiences. Digital internships and online learning can be great tools and the added skills can bolster your resume significantly.

It goes without saying that individuals and businesses are both facing major setbacks, in comparison to what was thriving economy before. If we intend to revive our economy, we can’t look at the way things were before. Things simply aren’t going to be the same in the future, instead we must learn from these experiences, inspire from what we see today and apply our learning to build a better tomorrow. I’ve mentioned earlier of how we can expect a start-up unicorn to rise from this situation, simply because new problems need new solutions.

I can’t wait to see what the new generation has in store for us!