“Honesty of purpose, sincerity, hard work and working closely with people are the key drivers to success”, said Dr. Arvind Agrawal, President Corporate Development & HR, RPG Enterprises in the recent Talking Matters Radio Program. Dr. Agrawal who was born in a little village in Chhattisgarh, learnt early in his life that education, excellence in whatever you do and strong perseverance together is the only key to success.

Talking of his early influencers, he mentioned that his facilitators at IIM-A encouraged the love for HR in him and helped him make the right choices early on. While moving companies and roles, he always felt that his true love was only in HR before he finally moved into the role of a CHRO at the RPG Enterprises. Talking of his success mantra, Dr. Agrawal said, “Besides excellence in everything you do, you need a global perspective to keep pace with the changes around you and work accordingly”. One needs to have a three sixty degree view of the on-goings around, to be able to adapt and perform.

Listen to the full radio session here

Very rightly put by Dr. Agrawal, people are the most important aspect of a business and each one is unique. He said, “Diversity is actually a strength and cannot get into the way of your success”, as he meant that taking people along in your journey to success always helps accelerate the process. He also highlighted the benefits of a positive outlook, saying that “banning negative thinking is the biggest discipline required in moving forward”.

The one big thing in HR in the coming times would be to “Bring HR back to its basics and regain the lost human touch,” said Dr. Arvind Agrawal. He also mentioned that there is a strong need for senior HR professionals to get some line exposure before moving up to the CHRO level. With such insights and experience sharing, this radio program offered immense learning to the listeners. Here are a few key takeaways:

• Honesty, sincerity and hard work go a long way in making an individual successful
• Excellence in everything you do, is the key driver for success
• Diversity is a strength and not a hindrance to one’s success
• Shun negativity to move forward swiftly and conveniently
• HR should experience some line exposure in order to grow quickly