Bharani Rao 

03/02/2021

Everything around you is helping you save time – online food delivery when there is no time to cook, paying through phones when you are too lazy to withdraw money, booking a cab without calling a cab service, ordering/shopping anything online for that matter because these companies/enterprises are cashing in on your laziness and promising you an epoch. But in practicality, do you have the time? If you do, what are you using those precious hours for? Learning, getting fitter, a new hobby or using your thoughts as your nemesis and wasting your time to just, age? PS: I have used most of the time to spend money and time on things that did not matter and never cashed in the opportunity to save. And in the midst of all, I have always invested in the opportunity to learn. Learning has never ceased, from the time I realized its worth – it was a mild but effective wakeup call. Too late, you say, and I say it’s never too late to start again. 

Learning will never stop; it should never, depending on how seriously you want to invest your time in it. In all certainty, I think I just know a speck, a particle of what is out there in the ocean of knowledge. Every person, whether it be your new supervisor or a subordinate, brings in that fantastic perspective that awes you – it just depends on whether or not you are listening carefully and learning. And my quest to know more only increases with my conversations with them. A culture that has been imbibed in all the companies that I have worked for. While the companies asked “What can you offer?” I asked them back “What can you teach me that will help me in my pursuit of professional evolution?” I know I fared well in my interview; I was looking for them to be more enticing in their response. The one that suited me is the one that I worked for in the past and the one, I am working for right now. 

[24]7.ai has not just grown externally as a brand but internally, it makes their people - a brand. Imagine an employee who comes to actuality of self by going through a series of well-curated training programs - programs that don’t just test your mettle, but also chisel away your raw edges. Or at least let you find your raw edges that you should work on. But work on or change you must, for the better, for you!

And then you have your immediate supervisors who, with their knowledge and vision, guide you in the right direction. In all of this sauce for success ‘your effort with dedicated time’ is the most inevitable contribution that you can do for your own self. If your individuality packed with subject-matter knowledge and expertise becomes your strength, it becomes a potential catalyst for the brand you stand for.

I can go on and take you on an endless metaphorical journey but in conclusion, respect time and perspective - you have been toned and tamed to respect your elders, seniors which is great; it’s like a keycard to your hotel room – programmed. Well, you need to do the same with your subordinates – remember, they come with a fresh perspective that is unadulterated, fearless and mostly, worth your time to invest in to nurture them into future leaders. That, to me, is time well spent! In the end, what is the point of all the learning if you haven’t passed it on to the sparks of the future? And for that, you need to dedicate quality time. The time, that technology helps you save not just for your family, friends or your passion but a sprinkle of it, for your future leaders.