Blog
From subordinate, to colleague and finally to my mentor…
From subordinate, to colleague and finally to my mentor…
Life is very interesting. It looks to be one thing, but turns out to be another. It takes its time to gradually make the big reveal, to unveil its great surprises and secrets.
When I came to Chennai with my shiny new MBA, I joined a leading corporate hospital’s marketing department. I was first introduced to a colleague by the GM Marketing. He was an amateur designer, as I understood then. He did not hold a degree and was not very fluent in English, all qualities I felt were necessary for a successful career. I was to share my cabin with him.
I soon realized humility and humour were his key attributes. He was always cheerful and seemed to work with total focus all 24 hours without expecting a reward. He was WELL ORGANISED and meticulous. He was so dedicated to his work and space that he used to wipe his computer daily, a job I considered too menial for Executive. My MBA crown said that that was the job of an office boy.
He began by reporting to me, grew to report to my GM, then later to the VP and now he deals with the Top Management. This growth he achieved working from just a small corner space inside that 10 X 10 cabin, whose lion’s share I occupied.
Over 15 years his growth has been remarkable, so much so that he now gives me business pointers. He never opted to be an employee for that Leading Hospital in spite of several offers from the top management. He chose to remain a “Consultant Designer”.
I went ahead doing my MBAs from the most reputed colleges such as ISB etc. But little did I know that he had trained and graduated from GOD’s University. He was put under fire in his early career. He had tried his hands at several businesses but had failed miserably. God had taken him under his wings to train him directly by giving all sorts of experiences that he could bear.
With my MBAs I thought I was greater than the ordinary…but i realized that:
No one is really bigger than another. Those who appear big on paper may not make the cut in reality. There are very many DIAMONDS in the rough lost in the rubble of life. When their time comes their radiance will burst forth for all to admire in spite of all that life throws at them.
Let’s stay humble always. We’ll never know just what degree the others have acquired from GOD’s University.
admin
0