Reflections on a personal journey

Today as I enter my 69th year and the 10th year of my retirement, it's a good time to reflect on the decade gone by.

Though I've had a pretty boring life - 30 years with the same company, 40 years with the same lady, 50 years in the same house, I have packed a lot of learnings into this.

From being the founding employee of 3M in India (company was originally named after yours truly as in the articles of association even today)

... to being the first shareholder (Rs. 10 share now worth Rs. 30,000!!)

...to Singapore, Austin, St. Paul, Israel, back to India, back to Singapore and back to St. Paul. - and racking up over a million airmiles in the process !!

My vision of retirement was sipping margaritas by the pool and playing golf and towards this objective I even bought a villa on a golf course community!! My wife thought I'd be a pain in the butt and try to micro manage everything around the house. Unfortunately, (or fortunately for her) things didn't pan out as expected. I'm probably more busy now than when I was working because then I had a great team I could delegate to but now need to do everything myself!!!

As I look back on this ride, I have attempted to capture the learnings from my corporate life that have held me in good stead in retirement and made even this phase enjoyable.

The cliche that retirement is just the beginning has indeed turned out to be true.

1. Surround yourself with people better than yourself - & empower them: This has been my number one mantra. Every one of my team, without exception, was smarter, better educated, harder working than me. I say this not as an act of humility but factual. Post retirement I've continued this through my engagements in academia, industry associations, startups etc.
2. Don’t underestimate the importance of cultural fit - but not clones: Though I was fortunate to have build great teams, amongst the worst mistakes I made was hiring for educational qualifications and prior experience/successes ignoring cultural fit. Having said this I also made it a point to not just recruit clones but people who brought complimentary skills. This too I have sustained through continued involvement in forums that are compatible with my values and the angel investments I've made.
3. Build networks and friendships: This is one of my very few strengths. The key however was not to do this in expectation of favors but as an opportunity to expand my horizons. Post retirement I've gotten the reputation of connector-in-chief & the go-to guy for help, with no ulterior motive.
4. Be willing to say I don’t know - and mean it: This is a no-brainer as far as I'm concerned as there's PLENTY I don't know. Having lived in 5 cities, in 4 countries & 3 continents & having worn multiple hats I lot my learning was on-the-job. Despite being only an engineer, post retirement as chairman of two financial services companies I have had to perforce adopt a continuous learning mindset.
5. Accept criticism as an improvement opportunity: There was no shortage of criticism I faced. I tried to create a climate where my team felt comfortable disagreeing with me or challenging me. I candidly shared my own 360 degree feedback & sought help to overcome my weaknesses (just a few!!!). In my current avatar I continue to solicit feedback as development opportunity.
6. Be on time - every time. Respect other peoples time: This has been the cause of much marital tension but it is in my DNA. The word has gotten around that Ajay will tolerate almost anything but if you're not on time beware. The most common unacceptable excuse was traffic. Often I land up early & sit at a cafe. This continues to be my first filter when I meet people.
7. Try the impossible - at worst you’ll fail, at best you’ll learn: I was truly blessed to have bosses who allowed me to do this including Jay Ihlenfeld & Robert Doughty George Buckley Inge Thulin. Numerous times I was told that the company will not allow this or it has been tried & didn't work or it's illogical & data doesn't support it, yada, yada, yada. Despite spectacular failures there were also spectacular successes. I carried this forward into my board roles and encourage teams to experiment.
8. Make yourself dispensable - the only way to progress: This was an easy corollary to point 1. Many people worry about becoming redundant and irrelevant especially culturally in India where knowledge is power. I recall what my boss Roger Lacey told me - if you don't make yourself dispensable I can't promote you!!! I always say if I got run-over by a bus it would have zero impact on the company. Even today I get regularly asked for copies of my presentations and I have no qualms giving them. Play it forward.
9. Price ≠ value - value is in the eye of the beholder: I recall my first boss Will Scrivens telling me "Ajay you know the price of everything but the value of nothing"!! This stayed with me forever. I have imbibed this in my day-to-day life & am now focused on not the price of what I do but the value I get from it.
10. Finally, all work and no play make Jack a dull boy: This for sure is a core competency of mine as I'm sure my colleagues will attest to. I found that I learnt more about colleagues, business, friends, negotiating, strengths, weaknesses etc. in these after hours sessions. We celebrated small victories as if we'd won the lottery. I still continue to ensure that post board meetings or other speaking events I schedule a happy hour and of course the 19th hole.

I continue to be actively engaged in academia, industry, start-ups, angel investing etc. and hopefully add value by sharing these learnings and prevent others from making the mistakes I did.

#retirement 3M 公司 Neeraj Sagar #life #india #priorities #journey