Of singing the same tune! #ImprovingLives

There are two kinds of people in this world: engineers and those who wanted to become engineers! That was the best engineer joke from my childhood—and here’s the kicker—we didn’t think it was a joke!

I have previously talked about growing up in a community where everyone was a STEM professional, or, inspired or encouraged to be one. Many of us without even understanding what these professions entailed. At the time, a clue had come from our institute’s kulgeet. Kul means “family” and geet means “song” in Hindi—so literally the family song of our hometown institute.

Three lines in particular had stood out to me. They translate to…

 ·      Bring in a new era with new inspiration and new ideas..

·      Commit to the greater good..

·      Nothing big can be achieved without hard work..

Even though I didn’t study in my hometown institute, these words guided my educational journey in India and later, in the United States. And today I feel fortunate to live them through 3M’s mantra of “Science. Applied to life.” We work hard to develop technology to advance companies, products to enhance homes and innovation to improve lives.

So, it was a very proud moment to be featured in our newest ad campaign, Improving Lives, that tells the stories of science and innovation through the lens of inventors like me, and my many colleagues, in 3M's global research and development community. The campaign underscores the passion we feel for uncovering solutions that are meaningful and make people’s lives better.

The three new ad segments highlight the same three song lines that caught my attention many decades ago:

‘Ideas that grow’ describes what I love most about being a scientist at 3M – the fact that I am part of a community of problem solvers. It’s about how we innovate, build upon ideas and develop everyday solution to ones that can take on a bigger challenge. We are constantly innovating to bring in new ideas and new inspiration to solve problems that improve lives.

‘People helping people’ highlights the importance of empathy and how we are committed to helping other people. At 3M the scientists listen, observe and understand other's perspective in ways that lead to meaningful solutions. At 3M, every invention is inspired by people – their needs, their hurdles, and their desire for a better solution.

‘Scientific journey’ underscores the hard work and dedication that goes into solving problems. It’s not just about that one ‘a-ha’ moment! It's about discipline and rigor in the scientific process to provide solutions that have to work. A process that involves time, dedication and a relentless pursuit of making things better and better.

I feel fortunate to represent 3M scientists and employees in these ads. Driven by collaboration across disciplines, we are like a family committed to a common purpose: helping improve the lives of others through impactful innovations.

Did you see the ads yet? What do the three #ImprovingLives segments mean to you?

Look forward to your comments.