When an aspirant comes to me, I look for the spark in his eyes, I try to fathom the depth of his commitment and I make an effort to explore the levels of his passion for the job. I always have believed that people basically learn informally while formal education just supplements that.
Tell us about your background, journey and upbringing.
I belong to a simple middle-class family from Haryana. My father had been a govt. servant, so we kept moving to different places, in line with his transfers and postings. I attended schools in Delhi, Haryana and Rajasthan, before completing my higher education, a Bachelor of Engineering degree in Computers from the University of Poona.
My beliefs, vision and motivation have been shaped by the family values I learnt in my childhood. My parents were hugely interested in my all-around development. We as a family have had the aspirations and anxieties of ordinary Indians. From the beginning, I knew that I had to find my own path and believe in it.
So, though my life may have changed a lot, yet when I look back at myself in those formative years, I find academics, family values, friends and aspirations form the real components of my upbringing.
How did you rise to the highest echelons in your career?
It wasn’t hunky-dory at any point in time. I’ve had my share of struggles. I’ve gone through the grind like anyone else. But life is all about learning, adapting and converting all the struggles into meaningful experiences. When I came out of college and joined Gujarat Telephone Cables Ltd., I was disillusioned.
I felt a yawning gap between my academic choices and my job responsibilities. I did computers because it was supposed to be the future, but here I was in a cables (telecommunications) company. With time, I rose above struggles, started to learn and contribute and grew as a professional.
After good 12 years there, I switched over to Teracom Ltd. as the Head of Operations. Now Teracom was the place where I learnt the nuances and finer aspects of the business. I was given the full arc of authority to work and thus, I learnt the importance of owning up to responsibilities and mistakes. Now the world of wires and cables was my world.
After 4 years, I moved on, joined Vuppalamritha Magnetic Components Ltd. (VMCL) in Hyderabad as the Vice President and worked there for 3 years. In 2014, I joined Polycab, an Indian cables and wires giant, for their greenfield project, which was Optical Fibre Cables manufacturing. In due course of times, I envisioned an idea of a separate vertical within Polycab, which was telecom.
I was so deep in my conviction that my company had that strength and depth to make a space for itself in emerging digital horizons, that Polycab made a strong foray into Optical Fibre Cable & Telecom-domain. I have worked day-in and day-out to create the manufacturing set-up of digital-infra products at Polycab.
I’ve been privileged that I set forth the strategic direction of the telecom vertical, promote its mission and ensure its operational success. So today, if I look back, constant ascent in my career can be defined through the ability to learn, assiduity, adaptability and integrity.
What does your typical workday look like?
I usually wake up early in the morning, have a warm glass of water and sit for half an hour with family. I try my best to ignore my phone and social media then. Then I go for a jog. I start from home for work around 8.45 am, either to the factory or the office in Ahmedabad.
After reaching the destination, a majority of my time is devoted to my task, which could be checking the machines out in the factory, working with specific teams for specific purposes, preparing a report or findings or charting out plans for immediate organizational needs, business development, strategic initiatives etc. Normally my working hours end late in the evening when I reach back home.
However busy I may have been, whatever the pressure, Sunday is completely for my family and friends.
It seems onboarding, even in 2021, is a long and drawn-out process behind the scenes. How do you envision this, changing in the future?
Definitely, in this COVID-hit world, there is a new normal for the way we work and the way we run businesses. Remote work is now ingrained in mechanisms, across the corporate circles. Just like remote work, remote hiring is also necessary for business continuity, bringing in diversity in the organization and building inclusive teams for different tasks.
The changing dynamics calls for a revamp in the traditional recruitment model to aid in more efficient hires. Digital transformation has helped companies gain a competitive talent advantage with reinforced talent-acquisition capabilities. A repository of remote hiring solutions is going to be applied in the coming days, with a defined process that aims at getting a highly adaptable and change-ready workforce.
Several global companies have come out and thrown their support behind not needing a formal education. What is your opinion about this?
Dhirubhai Ambani, Karsanbhai Patel and even our Chairman Inder T Jaisinghani, all gave up formal education before they could jump into their respective businesses. I mean, for me, a degree merely happens to be an academic reflection. I’m not discarding formal education, but formal education or a degree just enhances someone’s future job prospects. That’s not all. Education is bringing up your life in the way you want it to be.
Practical learning to control and respond to different situations and adapt in different settings is the key for me. When an aspirant comes to me, I look for the spark in his eyes, I try to fathom the depth of his commitment and I make an effort to explore the levels of his passion for the job. I always have believed that people basically learn informally while formal education just supplements that. Coincidentally, as we see in this post-COVID era, newer forms of learning and engagement across organizations have anyway cropped up.
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?
For me, “When you think big, You achieve big” has been the mantra. If you believe in possibilities, you’re ready to roll. The dreams, that can be realized, keep you interested and motivated in what you do. Today I’ve the stewardship at Polycab’s telecom vertical.
I own up every plan, process and outcome here. If I’ve the ownership, I harbour dreams as well. I look forward to contributing 10% of the total revenue of the Polycab Group from the telecom vertical. Being a new entrant in the telecom sector, it’s a hard nut to crack, I know, but then, by setting myself a challenging dream, I’ve created the foundation to unceasingly push my boundaries.
And that is what I do daily and expect everyone to do to rise in their respective careers. Work is what keeps me going and work is what will take anyone to higher echelons.
How are things changing in your domain, what role will data and information play in the future?
An uninterrupted flow of high-speed data is the new lifeline nowadays. While technology has infused our lives, we’re moving fast towards an increasingly connected ecosystem. Riding on instant connectivity and the constant flow of information, we’re accelerating into a smarter future.
With IoT and other emerging technologies, it would be possible to create a networked smart world with powerful new services and products that create new values. Smart Homes, Smart Electronics, connected cars, Smart Grids and whatnot, connectivity would be deployed in mobility, healthcare, manufacturing, retail and other facets of Smart Living and Working.
Digital infrastructure and data will define the approaching era surely. Digital services have already become an essential part of our lives.
Which is your favourite book and why?
I’m extremely sorry. I don’t get time to read a book, probably this would be an overstatement, but the reality remains that I don’t read books now. Given to read, I would definitely prefer to read about new and upcoming technologies, that continue to elevate the quality of our lives in more ways than one.
Interviewed by - Bhavana N
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