Episode 30: Never underestimate yourself - Sakshi Gupta
Everyone loves a success story from unlikely beginnings and this is one such.
The podcast captures the remarkable saga of a young woman from naïve, timid young girl growing up in a highly conservative family in small town India all the way to CFA Institute’s pioneering program for young women before joining one of the largest asset managers on the planet. It’s about multiple constraints, limiting self-doubt, growing self-awareness, invaluable mentorship, supportive company culture and blooming confidence all leading to personal transformation.
This is essential listening for the many out there with potential who are in similar circumstances and who want to break free.
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EPISODE TRANSCRIPT BELOW:
(Music plays)
Binod Shankar:
This is Binod Shankar and you’re listening to the real finance mentor podcast from the realfinancementor.com. The real finance mentor is your go-to resource for insight and inspiration on careers in finance, CFA and more. Now you might think, why this podcast? Well, my goal is to deliver insight and inspiration for your financial career, by making it, one: relatable. I mean this is not theoretical stuff. We zero-in on the critical, practical issues. Number two: authentic. No bullshit, no side-stepping. The topics, guests and questions are all from that perspective. And number three: insightful. Take a Chartered accountant and a CFA charter holder, add 17-plus years as a corporate warrior, mix in 10-plus years of entrepreneurship, throw in a decade of full time CFA training. Add speaking, mentoring, cycling, mountaineering and other endurance activities, and that’s me! Welcome to The Real Finance Mentor, or as I call it: RFM.
(Music plays)
My next guest is Sakshi Gupta.
I wanted to talk to her because this 24-year-old has an interesting and inspirational story.
Sakshi comes from a conservative family and was born and brought up in the small town of Tonk in the state of Rajasthan in India.
From that humble background she first got an MBA from Banasthali Vidhyapith in Rajasthan and then went to Bangalore where she was one of the 49 young women who were selected to be part of 1st batch of the Young Women in Investment Program run by CFA Institute in 2018, an event she terms as THE turning point of her life. That boot camp in turn provided her with an internship opportunity at State Street (one of the largest asset managers on the planet with $ 4 trillion under management) which she converted into a full-time position. Sakshi now works at Standard Chartered as a business analyst.
She tells me that apart from all that she loves dancing, cooking and reading fiction.
Sakshi, welcome to the show.
Thanks, Binod, for such a nice introduction and inviting me to be part of your podcast today. It gives me immense pleasure to be here to share my story and provide insights to the lessons I have learned in my journey so far. I am very excited and look forward to our conversation today.
1.You grew up in small town Rajasthan in an obscure village called Tonk. Tell me about your childhood especially:
a) The circumstances and culture in the family and the society:
Thanks, Binod, for asking this question. I believe it is an excellent place to start since it will lay a base and provide clarity on the background for our talk today. So, I come from a modest middle-class household. that is quite conservative, which I believe is primarily due to external influences/societal pressure. Things are changing now, but back then, culture was infiltrated by conservative and backward ideologies and thoughts. People believed that a job was out of the equation for women because they would eventually have to marry and run a household. And being surrounded by such a society it’s of no surprise that My family was no exception to such a cultural mindset.
I still remember that even considering going out of town for studies was a difficult decision. I'm not sure about other parents, but mine were initially hesitant to send me away for studies because I was a girl.
So that’s all the story from past but in today’s era, it's saddening to observe that there are still those who believe and say it out loud that because she is a girl, she will go out to study and ruin her family's name. And I'm still perplexed as to what their idea of "being spoilt" is.
Having said that! Amid all this typical social setting was my family of six which comprised of my grandmother, parents, and two siblings. Back in those days when I was in high school, my mother happened to be ill for a very long time and my grandmother was too old. Managing the household chores and helping our father out became my sister’s and my responsibility. At that point, picking a vocation of choice was undeniably challenging for us. That was the period where both of us couldn’t think about our career as the choice had to be made between career and family. That’s how I ultimately ended up doing all my schooling and graduation at Tonk.
b) The related constraints that limited your potential and your understanding of the world.
That’s a very good question Binod as I think it will help to uncover some factors which we overlook most of times. I'd like to draw attention to a few points here:
The comfort provided: I truly respect my father for always supporting us and ensuring we were never short of resources. I believe it is sometimes his overprotective nature and want to provide us with all the comfort limited my abilities as an individual. Off course, I enjoyed it as a child, but it proved to be my first constraint. I never knew how to oversee things all alone, never needed to manage anything or faced an adverse situation on my own. I understand that His attitude might not have been wrong as a parent. I would like to provide all that comfort to my children as well. But you what is important here? It is Establishing clear lines of responsibility for children that helps them learn life skills.
Which are first of all very crucial to learn and secondly will help them to thrive, as they need to trust in their own capabilities. It’s by experiencing mastery and rebounding from failure that they develop healthy self-confidence.
Another significant element is your environment/individuals you are investing most energy with. It assumes a key part; alternate points of view assist us with developing and constructing a wholesome character. For instance, I recall in high school when I was with a friend who was extremely ambitious, disciplined and a class topper. I gradually, consciously, or subconsciously, began to instill those habits, qualities into my temperament. But when I got into a college which was not very well-known. I felt that the mindset wasn't to prepare & build the students with individual identities to face/ conquer the world. Instead, the attitude was for everyone to merely get their degree. To top this mindset, the students who went to college with me came from well-established business families of Tonk. Their vision and thought processes were entirely different and centric to Tonk alone. By saying so I'm not implying that they were any less talented or knowledgeable. They certainly might have had more potential, but they were going in a different direction altogether. That's how I became one among them, with no real figure to look up to for my personal and holistic development. Trust me, IT WAS MY WORST NIGHTMARE.
c) You went to a small college in Tonk, and you said it was worse than school. Looking back, what are the 3 things you feel you missed out in college?
It a great question! So, upon self-interrogation what quickly comes to my mind is very 1st
Exploration of my personal self/vision/personality development: When you go to school you have a broad set of extracurricular activities before you which involve inter-school competitions, in-house debates, quizzes, addressing morning assemblies and so on. All that I mentioned might sound exceptionally fundamental, but they are instrumental in laying a strong foundation for the growth and development of your personality. I believe that college provides you with the opportunity to groom yourself. To elevate your interests to a whole new level while learning new skills – which I completely missed out on.
When I started my MBA program, I could notice that people seemed to have a clear vision for themselves and a set of goals. They all displayed a depth of knowledge and a thirst to excel which initially made me uneasy as this was totally a transition for me. For the same reason, even throughout my YWI boot camp days, I was not a stranger to feeling inferior, disoriented, and insecure.
With reference to what we discussed earlier, my life stages until the point of the bootcamp portray how I was confined to the tiny town of Tonk. There have been numerous occasions that depict this well. At his moment, I would like to share an incident that comes to my mind as we speak. I was having a conversation with one of my juniors who is doing his graduation now and I was surprised to learn that he is already involved in stock market trading. Keen to know more, I asked him how he got exposed to it at such a young age. To that he responded that few of his college mates introduced him to the financial markets in India and that helped him develop an interest. What I am trying to connect with this incident is that, I only had academic and no practical knowledge to apply in real life. Those were the days when I wasn’t backed up by any of the on-the-job skills and had nothing in hand except for my bachelor’s degree. End of the day, my knowledge circulated only around academics and the portions that were covered in college. It might come across as a shock to you, but I had no idea what CFA, FRM or other professional courses were back then because no one came forth with conversations centered around these topics.
Another most crucial thing I missed in my early days of my career was Mentorship due to which I lacked a sense of direction. Those were early vital days of my career when I needed to work on myself. But unfortunately, there was no one to lead, assist or show me the way ahead. I was void of professional contacts and networks. And I was unaware of its significance too. At this point what I would really like to do is to appeal to all the freshers out there to seek for a mentor. Looking at my journey I feel – ‘A mentor is like light at the end of a tunnel, guiding you when you are lost’. By saying so I cannot overemphasize the importance of that aspect in one’s career.
2.Your father is a shopkeeper, and your mom is a housewife and you come from a conservative family. You could have easily become one of the many girls who get married early and settle down. Yet you went for your MBA at Banasthali Vidyapith, a residential all women’s college 40 kms from Tonk which means you couldn’t see your family for many weeks on end. This was a seminal moment. I have three questions:
a) Where did you get the feeling that you must educate yourself further?
In the typical societal setting, which I have described earlier where only the” Man of the House” is expected to earn money and the women are expected to depend on the men to meet all their needs, creates a very unhealthy dependency. Over the years this idea always makes me uncomfortable. It is high time that these practices should be changed.
Actually, there are 2 aspects to what I said 1) is when someone is willing to work and couldn’t do due to unnecessary family pressure/societal orthodox norms. 2) If someone is not willing to work. So, the later one is fine as that’s something they are doing by choice but the earlier reflects a cruel face of world. People might challenge me for saying that, but I have witnessed people saying that if their daughters, daughters-in-law would be working that would hamper their reputation in the society.
Nevertheless, I've been fortunate to grow up in a family with women who have always been financially self-sufficient, and they have been the bedrock for the ideals I believe in now. A lot of my respect for them tags to the fact that they played their part of creating self- awareness in us by saying that "people may leave, but your education, knowledge and skills will always stay with you." it is highly essential to create our own identity by studying, becoming self-sufficient and preparing ourselves to deal with challenging and unforeseeable circumstances. A very huge respect goes to women in my family who has set examples for us and have always taught these lessons.
Another component is the competition which is evident when you have been a decent student and notice that all your classmates are up to something, striving to reach the next level of their fields. "What are we doing?" was a question we constantly asked ourselves. We knew that if this continued, we would end up like so many other girls who failed to make their choice. It dawned upon us that it's 'Now or Never.' That is how my elder sister took up the risk to confront my father, question age old practices and persuaded him to send us for a master’s degree.
b) How did you manage to convince your family to let you get away?
This was again another challenge which we had before us but not so difficult once you’ve decided what you wanted because the question of choice and addressing that comes first. For my parents sending us away for studies was more of an emotional roller coaster. We girls literally the apple of their eyes and had never stayed away from them. This reminds me of a friend who appropriately advised me to ask them for a chance to earn and they wouldn’t be able to say no. Following that path, we applied for Banasthali's Master's program, took the exam, and got selected. Now we had an opportunity in hand without which it would have been difficult to ask. Similarly, for the YWI programme, I never expected him to send me to Bangalore, but he didn't stop me when I already had it in my bonnet. To summarize this stage, my father realized that we had already made up our minds to pursue our studies further and he respected our decision. Yeah, I know, I could not attend one of 'The Best B-Schools’ but my MBA college, Banasthali Vidyapith, proved to be a big stepping stone in our lives of the few possibilities that were then available to us. It is a well-reputed, women only residential university and it is conveniently located near my home in Tonk. It was a great opportunity for us without compromising on my parent’s need to see us anytime they wanted.
c) What valuable skills or knowledge or connections did you pick up during the MBA program?
Interesting question, for someone who had never gone out on her own before, the MBA experience was clearly life changing. I excelled in academics. MBA also helped me to set a vision for myself, provided me with a platform to explore many other disciplines, and aided in the development of my personality. If I had to pick two crucial things that I learned and adopted from my MBA school, the first would be collaboration and the importance of a team/network and the second would be the business ethics lessons derived from the Indian ethos. This was a subject that was connected to my roots and it provided in-depth insight into Indian ethics, culture, Shastras, and how they can be integrated into today's fast-paced business environment. When Someone asks me what interests me in this subject is that it does not tell you what to do and what not to, or what is right or wrong, but it allows you to think and make your own judgment in each circumstance.
Apart from the knowledge and various professional networks, I had also developed personal connections which include my very close friends who have been with me through thick and thin. Above all, it was my college that paved the path for me to the 'Young Women in Investment Program,' which proved to be a significant game-changer for me.
3. The one-month-long boot camp that was part of the Young Women in Investment (YWI) program in the big, diverse city of Bangalore must have been a big cultural shock to you. I have 2 questions:
a) That was probably the first time you realized you were behind in quite a few skills and behaviors. What were the 3 key gaps you found?
Yes, you are right. When I arrived in Bangalore and saw the YWIP cohort, I was completely taken aback because I discovered that I had so many gaps in terms of competencies that put me behind the crowd. The top three of them that instantly come to my mind to point out are:
-Confidence: I lost the little confidence I had in seeing the quality of the people at the boot camp. I do not lie when I say that it shook me to my roots. Perhaps it was because I hadn't seen such talented and ambitious peers until that point. Naturally, somewhere at the back of my mind, I started comparing myself with the rest. I was desperate to find out at least one area where I was better than someone else for my own sanity. It was evidently not at all the right way to deal with things.
Another most important aspects that made me feel insecure were:
Communication: It is said, "Communication is Key" and I couldn’t agree more. My first language was not English, and I was not fluent in it. I did not feel comfortable conversing in English. This too completely eroded my self-assurance, leaving me totally insecure about myself.
Another gap I found was
Soft/Interpersonal skills: What I mastered in academics, I lacked in expression. I think I've stated it enough that the only strength of mine that I could hold on my academic knowledge, but I concluded that it was of no point if you lacked the soft skills. I have been an expert when it comes to books and theoretical knowledge, but I had no clue how to express my opinion. How to put up my knowledge out there by speaking up. If you have the knowledge, you need to be able to express and present it. And your knowledge is of no value unless you can demonstrate it. The key tools for that are soft skills like networking, assertiveness, communication (like I mentioned before), and so on.
b) You told me that you wished you had utilized that one-month YWI boot camp better. Please explain by detailing the 3 things you would do differently if you went back now.
Since we just discussed our major gaps, it’s easier to answer this question now. Looking back, I would have been better equipped to deal with my weaknesses had I avoided letting them come my way of interacting, collaborating, and participating in activities. In short, I should have asked more questions, been open to discussions, and been more authentic, to give my batchmates a chance to know me better, which I totally refrained from doing in the boot camp.
4. At some point shortly after the YWI bootcamp and during the internship at State Street you had this realization that totally changed your mindset and performance. You said to yourself that enough is enough. Take me through the 3 biggest factors that changed your mind.
I would like to attribute it to my background and the hard work I had put in to reach where I am now. Not to forget, my family’s immense faith in me was a key contributing factor. I knew I couldn’t let them down. So, whenever I felt like quitting, my motto has always been to look back at my journey and see from where I started, how, and why did I start, and how far I’ve made it. That brief retrospective can push anyone to move forward because you know your journey has not come to an end and that it will not unless you decide to put a full stop.
The next important element was the lessons I learned from the boot camp. I knew I was capable and had the potential but had to develop my skillsets a lot more to catch up with the rest. I was amongst a set of bright-minded people who were CFA charter holders or had other qualifications. It pained me that the world was so competitive and how ambitious people were. I closely studied them, and they left a profound impact on me. I decided to aspire for more and beyond. Learning from them and trying to imbibe their qualities or way of life slowly aligned me to achieve what they have achieved or at least, aim for it. That one month gave me an insight into what I was missing in terms of my professional skillset and what exactly I needed to work on. I am very thankful to the CFA Team for putting together this program. Not many people come to know this soon in their professional journey like what they need to improvise in themselves. Whereas, I got to know before the start of my career the things I needed to work on to reach where my talent can take me.
Finally, the events that took place right before the culmination of the boot camp struck a realization in me that while I haven’t reached the zenith, I am distinctive in some ways. There was a reason why I was sharing the room with the rest whom I looked up to. I realized, of all things, self-worth, and belief in myself was extremely important. Looking up to someone else and at the same time using that to let you down or undermine yourself can be self-destructive. I concluded that whatever was done, was done. The past facilitated me to reach this point. Now there is no looking back. It was the journey forward from there that mattered. I next focused on making the best out of my internship to complete it on an exemplary note. The more you are determined and focused, the more do circumstances that put you to test. Following my joining State Street, I realized that I would be part of the IT team and that my job role would be that of a tester. I was taken aback and completely clueless because despite having a solid business background, I had landed in a tech role about which I knew nothing. I expressed my concern to some of my teammates enquiring into the possible reason why I would be selected for this role when I was expecting a career in Corporate Finance. To be honest, for a while, all that determination evaporated into thin air at that moment.
Looking back at my takeaways from the boot camp worked at that point. I told to myself that maybe this was my chance to explore the unknown and gain an extensive range of experience. This fuelled me up. From there I was only concerned about working hard to excel in the role entrusted upon me and attain the trust of my co-workers.
5. One of the key people that supported you at State Street was your buddy at the time of onboarding, an Assistant Manager who later became your mentor and then your manager. You watched her closely and learnt a lot from her and a few other managers you worked with. All this is obviously hugely helpful when one begins a career. I have two questions here:
a) It takes two hands to clap, and I am sure while you had great managers the managers also saw something special in YOU and thought you were worth helping. You said they liked your “spirit”. What exactly is the “spirit” they saw in you?
When I put forth this question before my manager, she said my work ethics and ability were admirable. The dedication and accountability I demonstrate towards assigned tasks, my willingness to tackle problems, and my capability of finding solutions to any scenario. She added my other traits like approachability and flexibility, supporting colleagues were all qualities that stood out. When it came to spirit, she and my team admired the 'energy that I put into everything I do' and brought to work.
She says it all the time: "I inspire her and others!" And these words can be so powerful. I cannot stress enough how they motivate me to put in my best efforts.
b) What are the 3 key things you learnt from your managers?
The learnings I have acquired from her and my other managers are immeasurable, and they have all been very supportive of me personally and professionally. I always say that if workplaces had people like them, work would always be a pleasant and enriching experience. She had assisted me in learning things from the ground up, for example, during my initial days of internship she even taught me effective email writing. The few other notable abilities I've picked up from her are:
Building relationships: Understanding other individuals, connecting with them on a personal level, and establishing a good rapport undoubtedly makes work more enjoyable and easier especially when teamwork is required. Of course, we must be selective here because we cannot interact on a personal basis with the whole lot. However, we should try and establish cordial relations with everyone by understanding their background and nature as this helps in the long run.
Delegation: It is imperative to maintain trust and share knowledge. I missed this incredible experience of sharing and putting my trust in other people during the initial weeks at State Street. I had a hard time trusting people with my work. I always assumed they'll screw it up, better do it myself. As a result, I avoided sharing my expertise and efforts with others. I was frequently overburdened. However, it was from the practices and direction of my superiors and seniors, that I learned the importance of believing in others. My manager trusted in me and gave me a chance, which is how I landed the job. Going forward that’s exactly what I did. I gave others a chance & opened the doors for them. It not only assists you in delegating your work, but it also instills confidence in the person on the other side. As this journey isn't only about me it's about Us.
Commitment: I admire her attitude and leadership skills in the way she runs projects. Her people skills are as smooth as flowing water. I am often taken aback by the way she takes accountability for any work. As a matter of fact, she has proven her leadership abilities numerous times. Be it to putting together a casual social event or be it engaging in global team events. She did it all with a smile on her face.
Where the fact remains, she is also a daughter, wife, sister, and most importantly a mother to a little one outside of her work. From what I observed, she never compromised on any of her roles. Something which my parents were afraid of – if a female becomes a career woman!
I don’t know from where she gathers this strength for the commitment she shows towards her work. But she amused me every single day with the manner she handled everything in her personal life as well.
6. The journey went from shy inarticulate girl who never raised her hands to a confident young woman who while just a junior associate an intern was the only person in her team to interview the Business Unit Head at State Street, an opportunity that even seniors in her team didn’t bother taking up. My queries here:
a) Why did you volunteer?
I volunteered because I knew these opportunities don’t come by always. It’s actually very rare that it was being offered to folks in an open forum. If I took up this opportunity, I knew it would enable me to prove myself. As people would get a chance to know what I am capable of ‘outside of work’. Moreover, it was also a learning experience for me. My exposure and insights not just within the team but also in the organization would be magnified as I have never handled an open discussion with people in the topmost hierarchy. And knowing that I had never done such a thing before, I thought what could be a better way to start? I knew, it was going to be challenging but I was ready to give it my best shot.
b) What gave you the confidence to raise your hands?
Interesting but a difficult question!! If you ask me now, I don’t think I have a definite answer because I would say it came as a reflex. Later, as I said earlier, I also did consider the advantages it would bring like giving me a head start for similar future events. What could be a better way to start? I was just thrilled at the prospect of gaining wide insights and far-reaching visibility into the working of the firm. To be frank, I never thought I would get this opportunity as there were some senior team members also present but raised my hand anyway, thinking what the harm is in going for it and voila! I GOT IT! 😃
c) Why didn’t the others in your team, most of them your seniors with 5-7 years of experience, refuse this valuable opportunity?
Okay another tricky question, I'm not sure why the others didn't raise their hands, but I believe they all thought that this opportunity was far too good for them to get a chance. Consequentially, I think this can be a takeaway for everyone - to not hesitate to ask or volunteer and not let fear or apprehension hold you back.
To conclude this event also taught me the importance of ‘ASK’. Just imagine the case what if I had just thought in my head that there are senior team members and I will not get this opportunity and did not raise my hand? You know the answer right, I would have never got this experience!! But at that moment I had just thought what’s the harm in asking, even if I don’t get it there is no loss for me as at least I asked for it. Hence, never assume just ‘ASK’. The situation is always win-win as the last thing someone can do is say No.
7. Everyone gets criticized at work especially when they are new, and you can’t have been an exception. What was your reaction to the criticism?
No one is immune to it, as you correctly stated, Binod. Just like appraisal, we should also be open to receiving criticism. Because no one is perfect right and we always have a scope to improve, so why to take it other way when someone highlights what can you improve on? They are eventually making your job easy to figure it out. I was quite sensitive to taking criticisms as a fresher in the professional world. I would end up taking them personally and getting depressed. Now when I look back, I can say that's the worst thing to do to ourselves. Once the victim mentality creeps in it is not easy to let go.
I've also seen a couple of times in the workplace where some colleagues took things personally and messed up. So, people can make mistakes as I did take criticism personally but It’s only a matter of time until you figure out how you would want to approach criticisms: it’s either to take lessons from it or to be let down by it. Additionally, one key takeaway I got from all these scenarios was that our personal life should not mix up with our professional lives.
Clearly, accepting criticisms is not a cakewalk. The feelings that follow it are not something desirable but the lessons you take from it remain.
'Never carry a grudge, take your time and move on is a piece of advice I've always been given. That is something I have followed throughout.
8. They say the company culture is extremely important in developing and engaging an employee and I think you’ve to be lucky to work in such a culture. You told me that you love working at State Street. What are the elements of the culture that you liked the most and why?
Whenever I praise about SS work environment and rich culture. People always say that to me that your 1st company is like your 1st love, you are always emotionally attached to it and you feel lie holding on it for lifetime. But apart from that fact SS had actually given me many reasons to love it:
As a fresher in the industry, no hierarchical culture was the first impression about State Street that got etched in my mind. I was per hearsay under the impression that the investment industry is comprised of not-so-good and obnoxious employers. However, the way I was welcomed and addressed totally changed my perception. Everyone was respected and treated fairly. To my surprise, even the higher management never displayed their superiority and were friendly. For instance, I remember the events where senior managers would come by and have a brief talk with me to put me at ease and make sure I wasn’t feeling alienated. They used to ask me questions about my family, my town etc. etc. which shows that they were making an attempt to know me. All this collectively left a lasting impression on me since I felt valued.
Another one of State Street's key beliefs that they proudly uphold which depicts inclusion is Together We Are Stronger. Being a part of the organization, made me realize that how important individuals are. As said great places are created by great people. If you are surrounded by people with good attributes you tend to push beyond your limits and are most likely to succeed. Otherwise, you may not experience meaningful growth and learning. Looking upon my journey, I was fortunate enough to be a part of a group and culture that constantly encouraged, challenged, and helped me grow, explore, and broaden my horizons.
9. You told me that one significant event was when you went back to Banasthali Vidyapith, your MBA College, with Amit Chakrabarty from CFA Institute and presented to a big audience about the YWI program. Why was it so significant?
·Yeah, that day!!! 19 February 2020, Wednesday. It was a truly significant event for me. I fall short of words when I attempt to describe them. But if you ask me, the experience was profound and one of the highlights in my graph. Returning to my starting point and sharing my journey with those who now stand there, is an opportunity that doesn’t come knocking always. It was more noteworthy for me as it was just a few years ago, that I was a part of the audience on the other side unsure of how I would take my career forward, accomplish my goals, etc. Now I am back at the same place as a guest speaker accompanied by the Director of CFA Institute, who represented them and the YWIP program. That girl who was once shy and confused landed a job in State Street and now stands confident shoulder to shoulder with her peers in full demeanor, motivating more young women to follow in her footsteps. And because that girl was 'Me’, the experience couldn’t be more cherishing. If you ask me That day bore fruit when I eventually came to know that I was being looked up to, as a role model by many. So, all those experiences put together made it a remarkable day for me 😊.
10.There are millions of youngsters like you out there, in cities, towns and villages around the world, who have potential but are held back either by themselves or by others. What are the bits of advice you’d give them?
Thanks, Binod for asking this, I am happy to share the key things which I have learned from my journey so far and which have helped me somewhere are:
Be Determined, relentless, and focused. I personally believe that if your level of determination outweighs your hard work, as in 49% of hard work but 51% determination. Sometimes, this sheer determination could open doors and lead you towards your goal. I have personally experienced this in several ways. But be cautious as it works only when there is marginal difference b/w the 2 i.e., hard work and determination. So, I would say be mindful leveraging this.
Another thing which I have learnt being part of corporate culture is
Don't put all your eggs in one basket and the same applies to almost everything else in life. Not all individuals/organizations etc. are the same and it’s not fair to treat them similar way right.
So, to add to that but you know in another context you might not be able to walk in someone else's shoes. You must be wondering that what I mean by that so for example If your shoe size is 7 whereas you are trying to wear someone else’s shoe which is of size 10. Then, obviously, you are not going to have a good experience and you will end up complaining. So, to conclude we should seek lessons from others but sometimes you will have to sail on your boat by yourself.
This is something I have learnt lately, when I was changing my job, people told me that don’t go to this organization or that. They all were my seniors and friends and they were trying to help me to make an informed decision, but I felt that they had just made perceptions based upon their experiences or per hearsay. Rather in such cases, I would suggest inquiring more details like okay which company, which department/process/team/managers, etc. what reasons made them not liking it? Understand those and then make a call.
Be open to new challenges: We are in a fast-paced dynamic business environment and we need to be open to anything coming up on our way. This was another blunder I made at first because, to be honest, any new challenge scared me not because I didn’t want to undergo change but I was afraid to fail and make mistakes. With time I realized that you grow and learn only when you take on more challenges and make mistakes.
Moving on to next, I am sure most people must have heard and know it’s significance, so I will keep it short and clear. Creating your network by building relationships, both interpersonal and professional. is necessary as it will help you when you need someone and vice-versa.
Most importantly!! It all starts and comes from YOU and that is where self-belief comes into the picture. It is very important to never ever underestimate yourself because if you don’t believe in yourself, there is no reason for anyone else to believe in you. Each of us has our own defined personalities and traits which makes us different from the rest. So never pull yourself down mentally and instill thoughts of self-doubt, comparison, or being any less than someone else. #StayFearless!
Now with that being said, it gives room for my favorite poem by Vanessa Ohri and if you don’t mind Binod please allow me to I would like to mark an end to our chat today by reading a few of my favorite lines from it for all of you.
The poem is ‘I am special and so are you'.
I am special and so are you,
Imagine how boring the world would be if mother nature believed in UNIFORMITY!
All living beings the same in color and shape,
The ant and the ape!
A leopard and a bear!! A watermelon and a pear!!
The birds soaring high, the clouds floating by…
The leaves on every tree…. The fish in every sea….
Hey may be even you and even me!
Eeeeks wouldn’t life be a tragic shame!
If everything looked, felt, smelt…. Exactly the same!
We each have a purpose; each have a role!
Each with a dream, each with a goal,
We each are different, special…. Rare!
Each an answer to special prayer 😊
So, love who you are in life have an aim.
Be happy to be special not boringly same.
Be who you are do what you do!
We all are really special because I am I and you are YOU!
Thank You!
Binod:
I think that’s probably the most spectacular finish I have had in any podcast Interview Sakshi. So lyrical and so deep and meaningful as well.
Thank you so much for that and more importantly, thank you for spending the time sharing your experience and perspective as a young girl growing up in a conservative small town in rural India all the way to the Young Women in Investment Program and to State Street, a huge asset manager and now with Standard Chartered Bank.
I think its very insightful, it’s very impressive and its very inspirational and I wish you the very best in your career. Thank you so much for coming on the show Sakshi and we will stay in touch.
Sakshi: Surely Binod thank you so much. It was a pleasure to be here.
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This podcast is brought to you by the real finance mentor. Thank you so much for listening and I really hope you found it insightful and inspirational. If you did enjoy this episode, please drop us a review and spread the word. You should check out more exclusive content on therealfinancementor.com and my LinkedIn profile which is: Binod Shankar, FCA, CFA. Let’s keep in touch! Just add your name to the mailing list on therealfinancementor.com, and we’ll tell you about new episodes plus book reviews, upcoming events and blogs. Till the next time, onwards and upwards.
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