Rohit Singh - I Still Have Many More Milestones to Achieve, Many More Mountains to Climb, Many More Ambitions to Fulfil (Senior Vice President- NephroPlus)

I hope to see, organisations breaking their on-boarding process in phases and give only necessary information at the time of joining. As the employee gets accustomed to the organisation, there could be another series of training session conducted then. Further, I am certain that onboarding process will be much smoother with video calls becoming the new normal, as no longer we would need people to be available in offices for face 2 face interactions.

Tell us about your background, journey, and upbringing.

I was born & brought up in Delhi and was blessed to have studied in one of the finest schools of India. My school, unlike today’s schools with modern infrastructure, had humble facilities but boasted of sprawling campus with open fields and greenery, spread across 10 acres. It was here where I learned about life and made friends for life too. Coincidentally my life partner is also from the same school! 

Post high school, I was amongst the rarest breed of teenagers growing up in the 90s, who did not opt for higher education in medicine or engineering but had a science background. Counselled by few seniors, I was drawn to the business of lifestyle and luxury. I was soon selected in the leadership program of a leading luxury hospitality chain. This program prepared me for taking management decisions in frontline operations, at a very early age.

Despite the rigorous demands of the industry, I enjoyed and exceled during the program and continued to be part of the hospitality industry for several years.  I enjoyed and took pride in being different from most of my peers from school. Guess this courage was given to me by my father who always encouraged me to try new things, strive to win, and not give up, but most importantly 'stay positive'! It has taken me over 2 decades to value his daily dose of optimism that I received during my early days. I now firmly believe that ‘goals are first achieved in the mind’.

Hospitality industry gave me exposure of managing people & processes; high value clients, large teams and complex operations. But I was still hungry for more. Hence, I took a break to pursue higher studies – MBA. I studied at one of the leading B-schools of the world - Indian School of Business. One year at ISB was indeed like a paradigm shift for me. Apart from the business education, ISB inculcated self-belief and structured approach in me.

Meeting and interacting with students, alma matter, faculty and leaders from diverse backgrounds was an eye-opener and extended my horizon. I did realise I was now looking for more than salary, location, working hours or company environment. It was not a simple job or pay scale change anymore, but I wanted to pursue my calling.  I wanted to use my skills and knowledge now to impact lives by improving or facilitating healthcare delivery across the country. 

That’s when I joined the biggest healthcare group of India and worked towards expansion of their mother & child hospitals network and streamline operations. This gave me immediate exposure of the healthcare sector and eventually I got an opportunity to be part of the management team of India’s largest dialysis network & head its growth. For the last few years I have been working across India to build dialysis units and support patients and caregivers in some of the most untouched parts of our country. This gives me huge satisfaction and also chance to explore the paths less travelled. 

How did you rise to the highest echelons in your career?

It will be untrue if I said that I have risen to the desired level, I still have many more milestones to achieve, many more mountains to climb, many more ambitions to fulfil. However, I have enjoyed the journey so far & hope to do so in the future too. I fundamentally believe in the saying ‘do what you like otherwise you will be forced to like what you do’. I always garnish it by adding that liking or preferences can change with time- it is ok.

I have taken my time and several chances to figure out what my calling is and worked towards it, either by adding skill or knowledge to self. I started as a hotelier and now I am in the business of healthcare that to dialysis. It has been my decision all along! Throughout my professional career, I have taken my own decisions and owned them. Even if I failed, I did not succumb as they have been my decisions and I enjoyed every bit of the mistakes as well. That for me is the only way of rising and being happy. 

Further, I always work towards earning and owning- earn people & own your work. People that I have worked with gave me opportunities and supported me throughout. I end up sharing experiences and seeking advice from these people every now and then. I have earned them and value their integral support in my journey so far.  

What does your typical workday look like?

I believe, it is essential to have synergy and alignment in any team- two things that were common in 1983 and 2011 when India won the cricket world cup was that both teams believed in their captain and camaraderie among its members was terrific. Thus, I always start my day by connecting with team to take stock of the situation, align our priorities and have defined action plan to achieve the objectives. 

Middle of the day is typically blocked for deep work (strategic thinking time on what next) or partner meetings or reviews.

Towards the end, I mostly again interact with my team members to review progress on action plan as discussed and make appropriate changes if necessary. 

I try to actively collaborate with the on-ground teams, as they are the one’s executing the strategy on paper to reality. They can provide tailored recommendations for different situations and help us give outstanding performances consistently. 

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It seems onboarding, even in 2021 is a long drawn-out process behind the scenes. How do you envision this changing in the future?

Onboarding does become a long process at times by design and at time by default.

Companies, on many occasions, spend inordinate time on training or to explain about their values, vision, policies, processes, verticals etc whereas majority of the inputs are not understood by the new joiners. To me, it is an over dose of information for any individual to process and remember in the initial days. Further with the WFH practice increasingly being followed, it is impossible for any new joiner to understand culture of the organisation through virtual meetings.

I hope to see, organisations breaking their on-boarding process in phases and give only necessary information at the time of joining. As the employee gets accustomed to the organisation, there could be another series of training session conducted then. Further, I am certain that onboarding process will be much smoother with video calls becoming the new normal, as no longer we would need people to be available in offices for face 2 face interactions. 

Several global companies have come out and thrown their support behind not needing a formal education. What is your opinion about this?

I strongly vouch for attitude over degree. Skills can be taught, training can be imparted but attitude is hard to change. Further, our education curriculums are obsolete in many ways. As the business world is changing dynamically, we need the next generation of believers, risk takers, go getters and doers. Education does open one’s world view and teaches fundamentals but does not necessarily encourage to dream and become risk takers. Having a high degree does not guarantee superior capability always.

What is the best piece of advice you would like to give to those who want to rise in their careers in the corporate world?

To me success is a function of capability, perseverance and adaptability. 

All aspirants should invest in themselves to build skillsets and knowledge that would help them in performing better at workplace. Consistency is boring but requires immense amount of discipline. Once a person performs a task several times then the probability of excelling in the same increases thus probability of success increases too. Further, change is the only constant in our lives hence we should always be open to new ideas and embrace change.

How are things changing in your domain, what role will data and information play in the future?

We are in the middle of the pandemic and healthcare is the focus of the entire world. Situation has been extremely fluid for over a year now and we hope to not live with this virus for long. Complete healthcare ecosystem is shaken! We expect many changes in the future too. Governments will increase spending on healthcare as a percentage of GDP, home care vertical will gain prominence, remote (tele) consultation and monitoring will be widely practiced and few specialties/ services such as obstetrics, paediatrics, ophthalmology, and dialysis will continue to flourish outside hospitals. 

Data and information is transforming the way healthcare is and will be delivered to people. It will not only help predict illness, reduce cost of treatment, or improve accuracy of outcomes but can also help us prevent pandemics and largely help us lead better quality of life.

Which is your favorite book and why?

Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari is one of the best books I have read in recent times. To me, it does not fall in any one genre but a book that is though provoking! It gives a different perspective to our evolution and what may lie ahead of us.

I especially like the way Harari has tried to reason why we were more successful than any other animals. He narrates stories that are not found in history or biology books and makes bold statements on what future holds for our race. The book is very expressive and engaging as it clears many cob webs in the mind.