I still remember the day when I saw my name in the list of students who got selected for the MBA program (MBA General;2010-12). It was my happiest day and I am ever grateful to Swami for taking me under His fold as His student. Those years opened the gates to new learning, peace, happiness and bliss. Learning was continuous and everywhere, be it in hostel, institute or mandir. In this context, I would like to narrate one such deep experiential learning I received while studying in Puttaparthi, which I still apply and reap the benefits.

I observed the students performing hostel/institute/mandir activities with love and joy, without any expectation, irrespective of whether they are at the centre stage or back-stage; be it the stage boys in drama, the maintenance boys, the bakery boys or any other self-reliance departments. This imprinted a deep lesson in me. Just to give you a background, before MBA, I studied outside, which I would not call a bad world as everything belongs to God Himself. However, I never witnessed such a culture where helping another is a matter of joy and not a question of gain or loss. Students here exhibit qualities of being a good team player, an excellent contributor, and leadership by conduct, not by merely talking or being at the centre of attention. I realized such an attitude brings the best out of one, and grants self-satisfaction and happiness. Gradually I too absorbed these virtues or at least started putting efforts to practice them in daily life. 

I applied, time and again, the above attitude of ‘contributing to team without aspiring to take the centre stage’, at the workplace and got benefited via professional success or mental peace, especially whenever there were leadership conflicts. I recollect we were undertaking an advisory project (‘Project A’), and I was already leading certain aspects of the project. Incidentally, I received a request for another project (‘Project B’). Now, ‘Project B’ was also demanding. I continued to contribute to the ‘Project A’, which by now other folks, junior to me, started leading. It was difficult to be in the team (‘Project A’) of junior folks and not leading the team at the same time. However, my deep learning experiences put me in the track of being a contributing team member without worrying about my position. And I successfully completed all the deliverables. This was close to year-end. At the very beginning of the next year, I was leading another project (‘Project C’). I didn’t have enough resources for this project. Some of the folks who were leading the previous project (‘Project A’, which was then already completed) joined me and worked very hard and made it a successful one while I led from the front. I emerged as a successful leader. The point here to note is the very people to whom I acted as a contributing team member in ‘Project A’ helped me successfully lead the ‘Project C’. The learning that I underwent didn’t just make me an effective leader at the workplace but also helped me develop good relationships with closed ones – friends and families. I could direct my energies more towards duties and responsibilities and worry less for solicited appreciation, and progressively shape myself into a better human being. And this continues.

Abhishek Kumar MBA, 2010 – 2012, Prashanti Nilayam. Currently an Advisory practice Manager at Deloitte US India, Gurgaon.