Turning a page, starting a new chapter: Hit Refresh

The year 2020 has been nothing like what some of us have witnessed in our lifetime. For me, personally, this year has been a year of transformation. And as a family, we have made some major trajectory shifts. Here is a timeline of my year gone by and how I "Hit Refresh".

January started as always on a full blast. COVID was still confined to China with many across the world grappling to understand what it meant. We were starting to get anxious about our annual vacation to visit family and friends in India the next month. Another year with no snow, global warming is real and we need to act now!

February always remains my favorite month, visiting family and friends and especially getting to celebrate my birthday in my birth country. I completely forgot about COVID and had a blast in India. I love making memories that last for a lifetime :)

March COVID was spreading fast in Europe and on March 13th the shutting of non-essential services and schools was announced in Switzerland, starting March 16th. The dark side of human behavior is visible across the globe, where people blindly stock things without any consideration whatsoever for fellow humans. We run out of milk and eggs but know that this is not the end of the world & keep our calm :) We also refrained from panic buying and continue to buy only what is needed.

April was when I guess Zoom became a household name and work from home was being accepted even by the most conservative organizations. Personally, for me, it was a realization that my minimal, routine physical activities were gone and I was snacking more than I should. I decided to actively invest in health and start journaling my daily eating plus joined an online Zoom Zumba class. I shifted my "office" outdoors :)

May, the schools re-opened and the COVID restrictions were getting relaxed. Almost 3 months at home with very minimal external exposure, made me think deeply about the meaning of life and my own purpose. Why are organizational titles and vertical growth so important to many people? What value and place have money got in our life? How much money and which step in the corporate ladder gets one satisfaction & happiness? Why do people anchor their identity so much on a job? What is my purpose - is it truly bringing electric power to people? Or is it something deeper than that?

As a family we embrace new daily routines and practices, but we continue to question our purpose.

June was a trajectory-changing month for us. After several conversations, brainstorms, and discussions, my husband and I re-confirm that corporate life is not our purpose in life but it should only act as a means to an end. My husband decides to leave his corporate role and pursue his passion for learning. He joins ETH. I continue my reflections on my purpose and reflect on my learnings where, as a leader, I derive the most happiness when I see my team move outside of their comfort zone. I get tremendous joy when a member of the team out-performs their own expectations and I consider myself successful when I can show each one in my team their true potential. On the same lines, my camera-shy son gets to be the brand ambassador for Trivadis :)

July was the start of the first of several recognitions I will receive in 2020 several more accolades, in appreciation of my efforts towards having more women in STEM fields as well as my leadership to innovate. I enjoy coaching and mentoring people and more than anything else I truly believe that we all only need a little push to lift up when we hit the rock bottom. The awards and recognitions, for a giver like me, is yet another reason to go forward with helping people find their strength and purpose. Starting with a feature on Forbes about business transformation & innovation and why inclusion matters, I am honored to win several global & local awards :) And over the long walks, I start to visualize my true purpose.

August was generally an uneventful month for me. I continue to invest in my health and focus both on physical activity & nutrition and have shed about 10 kgs since the start of the year. More importantly, we have completely accepted the new way of living and have no holidays that are planned outside of the country, no hotel bookings, no flights booked. We continue to support local businesses and make a conscious effort to buy only locally.

September was a big month for me personally as I push myself out of my comfort zone and made 100,000 steps over a weekend. Consistency in physical activity helped a complete couch potato like me to get to the impossible with ease. I also realize that in this era of information, what will continue to differentiate individuals & organizations is consistency and persistence.

October saw the COVID numbers rising in Switzerland and we start to see neighboring countries bringing back the restrictions. As we continue to work/study from home, we realize that while physical distancing needs to be maintained, social distancing is not mandated. We start to connect with friends across the world virtually and re-create the magic of friendship. True friends are hard to find and even harder to keep, and we feel blessed to have many friends across the countries we have lived in, with whom we still share a deep bond.

Growth and comfort have never co-existed together.

November was another trajectory-changing month, where I decided to leave the world of electric power and my employer in the process. Although not an impulsive decision, it is hard and scary to leave one's comfort zone. But then growth and comfort have never co-existed together and despite several nay-sayers warning me, I decided to leave my comfort zone. I started having conversations about what to do next in my career.

December was when celebrations were due for having found my purpose and a vehicle to live my purpose. The joy remained incubated as COVID decided to visit us as a family. We were tested positive with strong symptoms and quarantined at home. Investing in health paid off as we did not develop any respiratory complications and investing in relationships bore fruits when our friends did not socially distance us. We had friends who brought food & essentials at the door every day and checked on us on daily basis. In the countless blessings I have, great friends and health take the top spot. Money or corporate titles can buy neither of these :)

File picture of my team & their families at my home in CH from 2019.

An end to two decades of efforts, passion, and purpose in bringing electric power to people and moving out of my comfort zone marks my 2020, in addition, to having completely recovered from COVID infection with no lasting health effects. In my 2 decades of professional experience, the last decade as a leader of small to large teams, I have come to realize that we are in the business of people. Technology, markets, digital solutions, products - are only enablers. At the end of the day it's people - be it employees or customers - that drive the business. Yet I feel most organizations, societies, and individuals underestimate this. I take my next step in my career, completely and totally dedicating my energy to bring out the best & full potential in people we work with, interact with, and live with. Adieu, 2020, and I Hit Refresh.

STAY TUNED!