The much awaited Talking Matters of the October month was aired on the 10th of October with Rajeev Dubey, President (Group HR, Corp. Serv. & After-Mkt) & Member of the GEB, Mahindra & Mahindra as the speaker. He is not only one of the most acclaimed HR professionals in the country but has also been featured in various theatre, TV and other radio shows. It was a privilege for People Matters to get to hear his journey up the ladder and learn from his experience as he began with sharing his early influences which included his parents, siblings, books, teachers, friends and even the bedtime stories. While each one of us can relate to it but not many of us consciously attribute our influencers to the stories and legends we were introduced to as children.

Listen to the full radio session here

Talking of his success story he shared that it was his dream of bringing about a positive difference in people’s lives that always kept motivating him to achieve more. His sincerity of purpose, the courage of conviction and his ability to collaborate, listen to other people’s views and create a win-win situation is what brought him up to where he is now. The most inspiring thought by Mr. Dubey was his strong belief in ‘Satya, Prem, Seva’ and this is what he always keeps in mind while doing anything. He said, “While hard work, persistence, optimism and walking the talk is important for a leader or a potential leader but most of all it is also very crucial to learn from one’s failures”.

“Leaders should frequently question self on whether their thinking, saying and doing is aligned? How well do they listen and communicate with people? The success of a leader depends on his/her ability to balance logic and emotions” he continued. He also shared that success lies in encouraging risk and leveraging failure. Talking of the things he wants to stop and start doing, he said he wants to let go of a tendency to give up or the feeling that one can’t make a difference and wants to start learning about the new technologies through reverse mentoring from his younger colleagues.

Awed by his wisdom, the listeners who had tuned in to the show, were swarming the web with their takes from the session. As an advice to his younger self and also indirectly advising the budding professionals, Mr Dubey said, “Dare to dream big but be careful in defining success. Go for it but keep reviewing along the way and take corrective actions wherever required. Discover new possibilities and follow them”. Towards the end of the show, he said, “Go beyond your own self and explore the power of giving. Give more than you take!” The show received an overwhelming response from the listeners as each one took back some learning, inspiration and the most important message of ‘Satya, Prem, Seva’. Here are a few key take ways for those who might have missed the show.

1. Dream big and always think of creating a positive difference in people whose lives you impact
2. Work with a sincerity of purpose and a courage of conviction
3. Learn from your failures
4. Align your thinking, saying and doing, striking a balance between logic and emotions
5. Never give up learning and exploring new possibilities
6. Believe in and practice an attitude of ‘satya, prem, seva’ (truth, love and service)