By Natasha Dhingra
Manager, Marketing, Aidem Ventures Pvt. Ltd.
June 24, 2014 was looking like just another day until I received an e-mail titled ‘Congrats’ from Ramesh Narayan of the Advertising Standards Council of India. The sender name and subjectline said enough, but I didn’t want to react too soon. With bated breath and crossed fingers, I read the complete email. It was what I had expected. I had won a sponsorship for the AFAA Fast Track Professional Excellence Programme. I was exhilarated.
A fortnight of anticipation, visa processing and research later, I was on a plane to Kuala Lumpur to attend a training programme about which I had very little idea. I was very excited, of course, and tried digging out details from those who had been selected the previous year, but all I got was “Seize it, lucky one!”
Unaware of the invaluable lessons and bonds I’d be bringing back with me, I set off on this journey. And what a journey it was! Simple, impactful and extremely relevant, the programme was a ‘system reboot’ button for all in attendance. It is packed with a series of simulation exercises, illustrations and assignments that are designed to help develop resilience, empowerment and leadership skills. These are designed in such a way that they seem tailor-made to fit individual needs.
While most take-aways from the training programme weren’t blazingly original, they were all equally substantial. They were learnings that we’ve all been through at some point, but sparingly come around to putting them to action. The lead trainer, Shahnaz Shaikh, and his team had a unique way of taking us through these concepts that will stay with us for life.
A very interesting part of the programme was the diversity in the classroom. There were students from five countries - Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Bangladesh and India. This diverse nature of the classroom brought a wide range of views to the table. At the end of Day 1 itself, we got to our common denominators and suddenly the class didn’t seem as diverse anymore. We had become one homogenous group trying to find solutions to our common problems.
We had the opportunity to meet some very eminent personalities from the Media and Advertising industry and peek into the minds of these masters. For a part of the programme, we were divided into groups and assigned group projects and a group mentor. My group mentor was Bharat Avalani, Regional Integrated Brands Communication Director for Unilever Homecare category across Asia, Africa, Middle-East & Turkey. He guided us in recognizing the aptitude of each group member and subsequently playing to our own individual strengths. It was encouraging to hear him narrate anecdotes from his past experiences. They described his passion for work.
That wasn’t all, though. Plenty of good things came from this small package of a three-day training programme, but if I have to summarize, it was a journey of reigniting my purpose and passion in life, and acquiring a world-view. I have come back highly motivated. Above all, it has helped me make some deep-seated, long-term connections for life.
Feedback: natashad@aidem.in
