When I was in Singapore, I was telling my friends about what I was doing in America. One of my friends asked me why I was helping start up founders in the US become better story tellers, when I can make a bigger impact in Asia? I could build confidence levels in Asians or help them become better communicators through storytelling. But when I came back to Singapore, nobody knew what I was trying to do. People associate stories with fairy tales and mythology. I was looking for a scene or place to tell my stories and I realised there was no scene. A friend suggested that I start my own show and that is how ‘What’s your story slam’ started. I decided to borrow from some of the best shows I had seen  in the US and make my own blend for the show. When I did my first show, I asked my friends to share their stories and I coached all of them.

It was a big risk for me as people from my personal and professional life came to watch the show. I was a banker with no experience in this field and it was scary. If I failed, everybody would know. I was not afraid to fail though, I was afraid to succeed. Because if you succeed a few times and then fail, it is a lot harder.

I think my career story draws a lot of people. Ten years ago, I had the life that defined what success should look like. I went to the right school and had a great international job. But then I realised that I was not really living. I tell people that my values changed once I quit banking and I now measure success differently. It is not about how much money I have, but the relationships with my friends and my parents. My parents are proud of me not because of the success from my job but because of my happiness. They reassure me that sometimes my business might be tough, but I’m doing what I love. I meet a lot of people who are unhappy and disengaged from their work. But they are so afraid to leave because it is the devil they know. As an entrepreneur, I feel I was able to mitigate my risks better because I know I can count on myself.

My perennial search and a longing to do more has always has led me to discover new opportunities and avenues, coupled with my faith in the Divine. This belief and trust in the enriching power of the Divine adds up to define who you are and what you are meant to do. When the deep desire is powerful the universe responds with a counter that is replete with paths and roads to be taken. Also, it is never about the outcomes but figuring out and perfecting the process.

The decision to go alone was arrived at within matter of minutes, and I took the sharp turn with courage and confidence and was prepared for the worst. However, fortunately life presented itself well and there have been several projects to look back with wonder and pride. Other career moves were a result of typical growth mindset with a credo of – I may not know it all, but I will figure it out and practice it to perfection. Also, every role is about the context followed by the content. When you have the vision to look at the larger landscape you know where you fit in and then focus on the content of your role and set your eyes on the ecosystem.

I have worked with BBC World Service Trust, NDTV 24×7 and CNBC-TV18 producing and conducting talk shows and meeting different personalities from all walks of life. What I experienced there was the instant gratification that you get right after a successful show. It can be an exciting experience, peaks of action and preparation. And then gathering yourself up for yet another episode and another meeting with a new topic of discussion. This helped me understand “Flexibility” and “Agility” – two key drivers for leadership success.

Working in the media industry gave me access to people from all walks of life, and I learnt that for acceptance from the masses it is a fine balance between how one looks, sounds and acts. I dress accordingly and speak humbly and look at things from their point of view. The lens with which people view media professionals can be very different, and we must tone down, consciously prepare ourselves to meet people where they are, rather than thrust our opinions on them. This has taught me a valuable lesson of acknowledgement and appreciation of the perspective of others, before I jump to judgements. As a women business leader, I call this Empathic Accuracy and Emotional Regulation skills that helps people to co-create and achieve the collective.

I come from a lower-middle-class family. I was born in Trichy and brought up all over the country because my father was in the central government. And after I started my career in 1981, I continued to travel and live around the country. Whatever I have achieved in my life has been due to the blessings of my seniors, elders, and family members. Hence, I felt it was time to give back. This is not a post-retirement plan. Even as a student in school, I was always active in social services. Now after retirement, I’m quite content and my family is happy. So, with the support of my wife, we decided that all my earnings post-retirement will be donated to a cause. I do coaching, and consulting. I teach in business schools and mentor start-ups and whatever I earn is given to a cause.

The cause was determined by my working in an eye hospital in Delhi. When I was in Eicher, as part of CSR, they had adopted a Charity eye Hospital and unfortunately, the CEO of the hospital resigned. I was the HR head and the Chairman told me to hire a CEO. But I found it difficult to hire a person who was both a good doctor and an administrator. So, my chairman told me to look after the hospital while I find someone. This was a turning point for me. That one year really touched me and it was also a good lesson in leadership as I turned the hospital around financially. Since then, I have been doing something for the hospital every year. I coach the CEO and some doctors. I do this pro bono. I support all the eye transplantations for children. I am willing to consult with any organization where they do not pay me but donate to the hospital instead. I now give my earnings to them, and this is how I feel I should give joy. I can give sight to people who cannot afford it and this hospital does just that.

Right after my Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS) stint, my first employment was with the Indian Army. My father with his patriotic fervour wanted to see me serving the country, and what can be more purposeful for a young girl than to wear the uniform and salute the national flag. I can’t think of any better way to start ones’ career than this. Till date it remains an Alma Mater that I recall with immense pride. But what I learnt during this tenure, that has held me in good stead, which I think other leaders can benefit from is:

• Safety, honor and welfare of the country comes first
• Honor, welfare and comfort of the men you lead comes second
• Your own safety comes only last

This is a lens which I would urge every leader to wear while working with teams who are endeavoring to work towards a shared vision. Constantly leaders are grappling with the question of how do I influence my teams to work on high priority common objectives, and that is where this 3 dimensional armed forces aspect can be a tool to help them. Outside of this, the Armed Forces works towards building the foundations of leadership, which is the character of a person. They do this by instilling values such as:

• Work Ethics
• Discipline
• Purpose
• Integrity
• Humility
• Teaming

This strong foundation has helped me to explore new horizons, face failure with aplomb, persevere during adverse times with the perpetual belief, that tomorrow is a new day.

My journey started when I was 8 years old and the events that took place at that time made a deep impact on me. Be it the scenes of donations coming from middle class families for the martyrs of India-China war of 1962 or having my close family members in the Army and National Defence fighting the war.

I decided then that I had to do something significant for my country. As a teenager attending “Balavihar” classes and reciting the Chinmaya mission pledge made me understand that I wanted to be a serving a larger purpose.

From my first job at TATA Motors to Eicher, GROW Talent and SOIL, my larger vision has always been about serving the country by creating a consulting company to transform the Indian Industry and build leaders for tomorrow. For me it has always been about “defining a higher purpose and becoming a follower of that purpose.

I believe that my life script is written, and I was chosen to be the instrument of doing this kind of work. Nothing happens by accident in life and it is a lot that we carry from our past into this life. All we need to do is to carefully listen to the knock from within. You get an indication from within provided you startle your mind to get that source of wisdom.

Sports is an inspiration to learn from. With prominence you tend to tread on dangerous ground at times, but I was fortunate to be surrounded by people who exuded tremendous humility . I admired them and aimed to have that humility, and this made me stand out as an individual.

When I moved to ESPN, I started to meet people who were my heroes – Sports Stars. I remember on Sports Center in India, I presented with Sunil Gavaskar, Geoffrey Boycott, Wasim Akram and Ravi Shastri. This was a big thrill for me. The old Steve would have made a big deal out of it. But that does not make you popular. I learnt from them how to be more chill about their status – to be humble in their position.

When you showcase professionalism , sports stars begin to respect you as a serious journalist and not treat you as a fan. The humility I saw in others, I tried to attain for myself.

I had this Super woman syndrome and felt I must do everything on my own just like my mother did. Then I got married and had a baby. I had 2 breaks in my career and then we moved to Mumbai, and I restarted my career. Everything was new to me. We were a nuclear family, there was no support, I was taking care of my daughter and I felt I was in a constant rush. During this time, I never reached out to my husband to ask for help. I felt he should be the one to reach out and offer support. But then, like me, he also saw the same thing at his own home where his mother did everything and he never realized that he could offer assistance.

A few years down the line, when I got wiser, I asked him for help, and at this time he told me that because I never asked for support, he didn’t realize that I needed it. So, asking for help is something I have learnt in my journey. We must not assume that just because someone is in your own home, they would know what you require. This is a ‘Mental Model’. I created a mental model of asking for help and he created a mental model by offering help.