By Rajiv Kumar
Marketing Director, Revlon India
We’ve all had those times when we have looked back in retrospect at our school and college days not only because of the freedom and carefree life that we spent, but also our foray with various sports. Being an avid lover of sports, I’ve always felt that it’s not just physical activity, but something that helps shape you as a person, and acquire the skillset to work as a team. The role I’m playing at this stage in my life is no different than that of playing in a sports team.
Whether it’s the boardroom or on the field, I just have one mantra and believe very strongly that the key to success is constant practice. During my practice sessions, I’ve observed that giving due respect and attention to other players is a must, as this builds team morale. One way to create a win-win situation in corporate life is to practise the same techniques, identify people with certain strengths, common slang and indications during the match.
It is very important to understand that goals are common and not individualistic in the corporate world. Only if the organization wins, you win and this is what motivates team members. It makes you stronger not only as a person but as a team. It is this one incident back in my school days that completely changed my outlook towards team life and winning. Every academic year, we had the annual championships that selected two teams on the basis of their skills - Team A had strong players and Team B had the rest. Everybody always aspired to be a part of Team A, but after strict selection, I got placed in Team B which eventually disappointed and demotivated me and what made it worse is that I was made the captain. At that time, my coach played an important role in motivating and inspiring me, he told me to play with all the vigour and passion I had towards the game and to win over Team A. I resolved to remain positive and encourage my team members towards concentrating on the strategy to win. Eventually, I did win the game, and that trophy is my favourite, as it always keeps my spirit in the right direction.
Corporate life is a bunch of different complexities and milestones to achieve, nothing is perfect and we tend to make mistakes of the same nature. We tend to be selective and gravitate towards our favourite job profiles and favourite team members. In this scenario, we tend to close our eyes to the other alternatives and positives that exist as precious resources that can help an individual’s career and organization as a whole. The decrepancy creeps in when we forget that we are working for an organization as a whole and in unity.
The organization’s win is an individual’s win!
Feedback: rkumar@modirevlon.com
