To attain salvation in life, you have to be contented -- I am so against that philosophy

A banker-turned-author from Ludhiana, Ravi Subramaniam's bestselling books If God Was a Banker and I Bought the Monk's Ferrari, talk about different ways of pursuing success in life.

Here, he tells us about the challenges he faced in the first one month while pursuing his MBA at IIM-Bangalore and why it is important to move beyond corporate politics and more.

Kindly recommend books that you think today's young Indians must read.

I can tell you about two that young people should read. One of them is Robin Sharma's The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari. You must read it simply because it's one book I just don't agree with. It says that to attain salvation in life, you have to be contented. I am so against that philosophy that I wrote a book I Sold the Monk's Ferrari, which documents the characteristics that are essential for success in one's life. The Ferrari is synonymous with success and these are character traits that allow you to achieve success it.

What are the common mistakes that young people make when it comes to careers?

Lot of young people have warped expectations. For instance, they step out of IIMs or any graduate school for that matter and expect that life will be a cakewalk for them.

They feel that the minute they graduate, they will find a job and the pointers mentioned in the job description will tell them everything they should do in life. They think the appraisals, promotions and bonuses will decide how they move on with their lives and careers.

Guys, get real. Life is not fair at all times. At some point, you will come across someone who is better endowed or favoured than you. You will have to make your way around it, rather than whine about it.

The day you accept that life is not fair and equal to everyone, you will be at peace with yourself. And you can deliver better on the job than you are able to today.

Can you share an incident from your career that inspired you and changed your outlook towards success?

I am a small town guy. I was born and brought up in Ludhiana. When I joined IIM-B, I was amidst students who studied at IITs in Bombay and Delhi and almost everyone was flamboyant.

Seeing them, I went into a shell -- at that time, not being from a big city and a big institute was perceived as a negative thing. I saw that people avoided me because I was not one of them.

Later I decided that if I wanted to overcome the situation, I should change myself. I also knew that I would have to probably work harder than them to achieve what they had, but I was willing to do it. That first month at IIM changed me as a person.

Since then, I have learned to aspire for more. I started working harder and today, I believe, I have achieved a lot more than if I not been in that situation.

What are the important lessons you learned at IIM?

First and foremost, I learnt that nobody loves you more than your family; not your friends, your colleagues, peers or boss. Everyone will do what suits them, rather than what suits you. If you ever want to be sure that what you are doing is right, you must either call your parents, your partner or your children. Because they are the only ones who can give you an honest answer.

The second lesson I learnt at IIM-Bangalore was that at every stage of life, you will have to sell yourself. By selling, I do not mean that you will have to sell your soul, but you have to tell people what you are capable of. Similarly, if you want something in life, you have to ask for it. That's how people become successful. You must understand that nothing comes to you for free.

Another lesson I learnt at IIM was how to communicate my thoughts. Like if you think of something, say it. If you think something is right or wrong, state it. That builds your reputation as an honest individual. This virtue will help you make friends who will stay with your for life.

What career advice would you like to share with the batch of 2012?

My advice for the batch of 2012 is very simple. Folks, you've learnt enough in your respective MBA colleges. But all of that knowledge is theoretical.

When you go out for a job, you will realise that life in reality is different from what you have learned in your textbooks. Branding is not going to work the way you learned in your MBA; product positioning is different from what was taught to you at the London school and human resources is not what you thought it would be like.

Real life is full of corporate politics. The problem with most individuals is that when they make the transition from a college graduate to a working professional, they feel disillusioned, because nothing in life is what they learned in college.

My advice to them is: Get real. Politics will permeate all levels of an organisation. Don't whine about it, learn to deal with it. That's the only way you can move ahead in your career.

What's your advice to young Indians?

Work hard. But party harder. If you work hard and you have a passion outside your work life, it makes work life a lot more interesting.

I have observed that people who have an active social life outside work perform and deliver better at work.

Besides, they have a rounder personality compared to those who do not have a life beyond their work. So go out, explore and develop a passion outside work. You will see that your work life will improve magically.

You can watch the video at:
http://ishare.rediff.com/video/news-and-politics/ravi-subramaniam-author-of-if-god-was-a-banker/6549689

Sell Yourself at every stage of your life

Below is an interview with Jerry Rao.

http://www.rediff.com/getahead/slide-show/slide-show-1-career-dont-miss-life-lessons-from-iim-graduates/20120411.htm

Divya Nair
From books that will inspire you to dreaming beyond the obvious, read on for life lessons from these successful IIM alumni.

Jaithirth or Jerry Rao, as he is popularly known, is a man full of wisdom.

From playing an instrumental role in founding MphasiS, an IT services company, to being declared Ernst & Young's Entrepreneur of the Year 2004, Rao has contributed in ways that have inspired many.

Even as his dream of building affordable homes in Bangalore is yet to materialise, one can't dismiss the verve of this 60-year-old when he talks about the virtue of being patient and advises young Indians to nurture their hunger for knowledge for success in life.

Kindly recommend five books that you think today's young Indians must read.

Discovery of India by Jawaharlal Nehru, Waiting for the Mahatma by RK Narayan, Midnight's Children by Salman Rushdie, Samskara by UR Anantha Murthy and Gora by Rabindranath Tagore

Can you outline why you have recommended these books?

I think it is very important for Indians to develop a sense of context. Otherwise, we are very much into day-to-day life problems -- 'how do I get promoted', 'how do I move ahead?' We do not understand the historical, social, anthropological context in which we are working. That's why I recommend these books.

What are the common mistakes that young people make when it comes to careers?

I think the biggest mistake people make in their careers is being in a hurry. People are asking for quick resolutions, quick answers, promotions, fulfillments.

Patience is a virtue each one of us must pursue. Lack of patience often precipitates to crises, which can be avoided.

Can you share an incident from your career that inspired you and changed your outlook towards success?

Years ago, I used to work with an American boss, a guy called Alan Williams. He was known to take very tough and difficult organisational decisions. He was brutally honest and had superior intelligence. But he lost out on his career, because he did not know how to handle organisational politics. I've always remembered that incident -- I learnt that doing the right thing doesn't always make you a winner.

Should Alan have learned critical lessons along with doing what's right (because I think doing right is important)? I don't have the answer, but this incident is left with me as an enduring event that I keep revisiting all the time.

What are the important lessons you learned at IIM?

You have to write well. There is no way you can become a good manager if you can't write well.
You have to speak up. This whole thing of class participation was important, because it forced people to speak up. The idea of being strongly silent is good, but it's wrong. It might work in Hollywood movies, but it doesn't work in real life.
Most of my classmates at IIM were intelligent. But IIM teaches you that intelligence is not everything. There are issues of character, communication, friendliness and lateral networking which are more important, or equally important.
What career advice would you like to share with the batch of 2012?

Don't pursue what is the most fashionable thing to do. Today, the most fashionable is private equity. I think you need to look at something that's contra-intuitive.
If you want to do something different, think of the steel industry, everybody has given up on steel -- or you may consider pursuing your career in manufacturing.
I think it is important to be useful while trying to do something different. You want to get into private equity because the best go there and you want to compete with the best. So why not go into steel and be the best in that field? So doing something that's contra-indicative is what I would suggest.
What's your advice to young Indians?

I would like to tell the youth that if you want to be successful, you have to be broadly-skilled.

You have to learn how to learn. Don't just learn Java or derivatives for the heck of it, because these things will go away in ten years. You must know how to unlearn a particular computer language or a financial instrument, given the need.

I have seen that many young people choose a niche field of interest and learn the skills pertaining to that field. Rather try and pick up the skill to learn how to learn. To my knowledge, if you are going to develop this skill over a period of 20 or 30 years, you are going to do well in life.