When I was in 9th, a friend's brother got selected for NDA. He distributed sweets. I was impressed.
Next day, I had a chat with Mrs Dayamani - our English teacher. She encouraged me to move towards my dreams by trusting myself.
Talking to her helped.
In my family, the Army is a tradition. I decided to take the CDS exam after graduation and started preparing.
In 1989, I got my commission into the Indian Army.
What a joy the next 7 years were! - as I led my men from the front.
Posted in the Kashmir valley in times of the initial insurgency - we would move every 2 months.
I learnt from my Jawans that if you can respect a person, care and provide for him - in return, they will even lay down their life for you.
I also learnt I could survive and thrive anywhere.
During army days, I had seen the power the District Collectors had. Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan had a 5% reservation for ex-servicemen in state civil services.
My army commission would end. What would I do after that?
I had a conversation with my father. He put implicit trust in whatever dream I had for myself. His support gave me wings to prepare. I began to study.
In 1998, I joined Punjab Civil Service.
After joining, I found it hard to stomach the corruption. Being a Fauji did not help.
So, I used my time there to also do a PG diploma in HR.
I wanted to get into the corporate world but did not know what to chose.
I reached out to my army course-mate Avijit. By now, I was a confirmed believer in conversations to clear my head :)
He said, 'Why don't you go into training?' You will make a great trainer. In all our years together, I have never seen you without a book!'
That shaped my next step..
The telecom boom had begun. I joined the training team at Reliance Infocomm.
I had a lot of fun, conducting leadership and behavioural workshops.
Sales trainings would pass me by, as I did not have any selling experience.
I remedied that in the next 7 months on my own steam.
Every weekend, I would land up at a Delhi distributor of our company. Then make sales rounds. I learnt how to sell on the streets of Delhi.
I started conducting sales trainings after that :)
In the next 6 years, I also worked for Tata Sky. I conducted many workshops. I began to measure their financial impact. I also got certified by several top-notch global trainers.
Training jobs tend to plateau after a while, but I loved making the difference that I did.
So, it was Crucial Conversation time once again. This time with my wife.
I decided to turn into an entrepreneur and founded Impact Consulting. With God's grace, we have done well.
The pandemic did create an anxious moment or two, but a conversation at the doorsteps of Gurudwara Bangla Sahib nudged me back.
The priest there said, 'Kare karwayae aape raam' - He is the doer. He gets it done.
That is how my story continues. Kare Karwayae aape raam - sending me friends and well-wishers, when I need them for a conversation or two :)
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