Blog: Talking Matters: Radio program with Yogi Sriram

Leadership

Talking Matters: Radio program with Yogi Sriram

A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. It is difficult to become a top professional without discipline and hardwork.
Talking Matters: Radio program with Yogi Sriram

In another season of Talking Matters, People Matters’ exclusive radio show, host Savita Vijayan talked to Yogi Sriram, senior Vice President, Corporate Human Resource, Larsen and Toubro Limited. The radio show revolved around Yogi Sriram’s journey as an HR Leader, and what led him to where he is today. It was a privilege for People Matters to get to hear of his jouney of success and learn from his experiences.

 

On being asked about his early influences in his life, Yogi Sriram credited his parents for giving him the fortune of travelling around the world and becoming part of various diverse cultures that majorly influenced his life. The speaker further added, “Opportunity always knocks your door and you have to be quick to grab it and stay curious.”

Listen to the full radio session here

Sriram emphasized about the ingredients of success as a leader.  In the face of adversity it is very important not to get intimidated. And that it is important to inculcate and practice the art of being patient and stay in control of emotional feelings and not get carried away, he said.

Good listening is an essential skill that needs to be developed to climb up the ladder of success. “It is imperative to list down in one’s mind the incremental improvements and set goals for oneself. The key to a successful life is that as an individual must compete with oneself as compared to comparing with others” said Yogi Sriram focusing upon the biggest leadership lesson learned throughout his journey of success.

As an HR professional, corporate life is about managing the dichotomy and maintaining a time balance. HR managers are sometimes confronted with decisions which are acceptable and nice with respect to what the employees want, but the same decisions are viewed as tough because it might not do well. Therefore striking a balance between the two is a constant struggle. Time management is necessary, and Sriram said, “It is imperative to manage one’s time as a professional to make sure that you are not overdoing it on anyone activity”.

Today, millenials form a major chunk of the organizational workforce. Most of them live in a hugely competitive world with tremendous social pressure. Thus as a fresher,  it is important to have a set direction about the career goals and be inquisitive. “Be competitive but also enjoy the phase of learning; and for young people, it is imperative to interact with people superior in level during the job, as the theory is when you do that, you go upto that” said Yogi Sriram.

Looking back at his younger self, he said that he would tell himself never to grow up. As being engaged with your younger-self, one stays creative and helps in unwinding oneself.

In the organizations there is an obsessive kind of concern regarding measuring the training inputs and there are various techniques for measuring them. It is futile to get a very quantitative metrics for training and development programs. On being questioned to give an advice to the Learning & Development professionals, Yogi Sriram said, “Choose few training programs and go after them as a theme year after year”

When talking about the definition of success for him, he says “Success means being on top whatever an individual undertakes to do. Staying in control of oneself and finding the balance is a stepping stone to for attaining success and ensuring not getting carried away by views and criticism”.

The key takeaways in conclusion from the interview are:

The measure of success is the impact that one leaves behind and the reputation that an individual builds on the career journey.

  • Never let the child inside you die, and stay curious

  • Stay tolerant  to others 

  • Become Inquisitive and stay committed to your profession and endeavours.

 

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Topics: Leadership, C-Suite, #TalkingMatters, #PersonalJourney

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