Making of the perfect mentor..
Shaping your career. Giving you guidance. Helping you achieve success. Becoming a better human being. Making you differentiate right from wrong. There is so much a teacher does for you.
A teacher could wear many hats, be it that of a parent, student, a colleague or even a junior team mate, a teacher can be found just anywhere and in anyone! Shaping our minds, pushing us to attain goals, extend our boundaries, a teacher carves a niche in our minds and heart, inspiring us forever!
But after all they do for you, sometimes it is hard to find the right words to thank a teacher.
Rightly put by William Arthur Ward, “The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires.”
While we continue to be thankful to our teachers from school and college, this time on the occasion of teacher’s day, leaders in U2opia mobile show gratitude to a team member or a colleague that inspired them in many ways and make them the leaders that they are!
These leaders are our mentors today. They lead by example, they give exemplary guidance and are made of experience and lesson they learn from people around them!
We encapsulate their experiences of learning from younger team members or colleagues who taught them something that helped them grow as a personally or professionally.
This is our way to say a big Thank You to anyone who has been an inspiration.
One day, on a business trip with a younger team member, Sumesh Menon, was asked a simple question, ‘you seem to know everything about the business, why don’t you do something of your own?’ This question did not just set Sumesh thinking about the possibilities of starting his own venture but made him realize a potential that he had probably not realized in his full capacity and was actually seen by a junior team member!
With a lot of thinking, weighing possibilities and gathering the gumption to enter uncharted territory of an entrepreneur, Sumesh seized an opportunity. Today he is founder of U2opia mobile and a role model to few hundreds. Now, looking back in time, he captures his journey in a saying by Stephen Richards, ‘Know you will win and you will win!’
Going back to the early days of his career where he was driven by raw passion and enthusiasm, Ankit Nautiyal, Co-founder, U2opia mobile, recalls an incident where he faced reluctance in getting support from his supervisor. The supervisor often held him responsible for any delays in delivery of a project and Ankit was extremely disappointed.
Feeling low and disappointed, one evening a simple conversation with a younger team member turned out to be an eye opener for Ankit! ‘A lot of the circumstances around us - the support we garner, the opposition we encounter and our successes - depend on the attitude we carry, whether we go in win over or whether we go in expecting confrontation.’ This conversation did not just make Ankit realize that he may need to change his own approach but also made him change his outlook for life!
A simple suggestion, a eureka moment and Ankit became a firm believer in how David Bailey says it ‘A positive attitude can really make dreams come true - it did for me.’
Sandeep Ganguly, CEO, U2opia Mobile, reminisces an incident where in his early days as a leader, a subordinate from the team he led showcased great understanding of what is required of his role and showed perseverance to ensure the team collectively reached the common goal, under a high pressure situation. Sandeep recalls an incident, while trying to get a solution ready, that actually led him to wonder what he really wanted to achieve and he asked himself ‘do I want to follow timelines and make sure I do as required as a team leader to deliver a product or should I make sure the solution is complete and the customer is satisfied’.
A firm believer in the saying by Ally Carter, “The older I got, the smarter my teachers became.” This incident made Sandeep grow into a more patient team member and someone who would lead by example.
Gairik Bhattacharya, Sr. Director, Business Development, U2opia Mobile, has been inspired by a young team member’s Never say No attitude! Learning to replace ‘cannot’ with ‘can’, Gairik has learnt the art of time management and the fact that hard work always pays. The new team mate has been an example for everyone as he is still trying to learn about the technology solutions but already been proving himself instrumental in completing critical documentation!
Learning from his team, not only makes Gairik a better team member but also makes him a better mentor who inspires and motives his team to deal with pressures at work. Gairik now strongly believes, one can achieve what one wants to. Now there is no stopping or looking back for Gairik!
Saurabh Bidani, VP, Global Business Operations and Enterprise Solutions, U2opia Mobile believes there is not end to learning and that every individual has something to teach. Saurabh looks forward to interact different people to be able to understand how different people deal with a situation.
Saurabh joined U2opia mobile a few years ago and was not just adjusting to a new workplace but also trying to unlearn his western ways. The HR team in U2opia mobile helped him in ways to deal with people internally in the organization. He learnt ways on how to get work done from his team and also ensure his team was always by his side to bail him out of a situation he was stuck in! From simple chocolates to working long hours with the team, Saurabh went the extra mile. Today he thanks the HR team and summarizes his experience by a famous saying by Nicholas Sparks, “They inspire you, they entertain you, and you end up learning a ton even when you don't know it”
The best ingredients for the making of a good leader come from young team members, strongly believes Pranav Vashishtha, Director Engineering, U2opia mobile. As a leader, Pranav feels dependent on his team for his constant evolution and growth, both personally and professionally. Remembering one incident that proves this, is when a young team member taught him the importance of taking take time out from himself. During a high stress period, Pranav found a team member busy in meetings daily at a particular timeslot, every day. When questioned what the meeting was about, the team member explained the time was booked to ensure he had lunch and did not have to skip the meal as the project at hand did not allow him to eat in the past few days. This incident taught Pranav the importance of taking time out for one’s self and he ensured neither he nor any team member skipped lunch due to work!
When we are kids, or we are young and wild, or old. We don’t realize our life teaches us so much on a day to day basis.We learn lessons that go beyond books, we learn lessons that stay with us for life.
This is our way to thank all those people who have been a part of our lives and created a positive impact, ensuring we get inspired, stay inspired and inspire people around us to be what they cant see!
For all that your mentors do, take this moment to say thanks.
