only the fittest survive in the corporate world' - rediff getahead

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'Only the fittest survive in the corporate world'Last updated on: December 25, 2012 09:37 IST

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Partha Sarathi Basu, author of Make It Or Break It: Mantras For A Successful Career tells Prasanna D Zore in an

e-mail interview why he likens the corporate world to a jungle and dishes out some novel yet simple mantras to

help India's youth carve out a niche for themselves in whatever career path they pursue.

W ith two books – Why Not ...! Racing Ahead With Mentors and the novel With You Or Without You -- already under his belt,

Basu has worked in leadership positions with Whirlpool India, Spice Jet Ltd, Coca Cola India, Tata Group and IFB Group and

shares the lessons he learnt in these positions in Make It Or Break It. Currently, Basu works with Akzo Nobel as finance

director, India and South Asia and on the board of directors of Akzo Nobel India and Akzo Nobel Paints Sri Lanka.

What are the main hurdles that a first-time young recruit faces in any organisation that she/he joins? How should

they navigate the first six months in any new company to create a substantive impression?

Most of the organisations have a robust programme for young recruits to settle them into the corporate world. However the

youngsters need to understand and agree that corporate world will be different and it is quite unknown to them. Thus first, they

need to accept few realities as they move on to explore the new world.

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Reality 1: There may be gap in expectation and reality

Reality 2: Most of us are not ready to face the new world and

Reality 3: This is the phase to un-learn and relearn

Till now, it was their own education, their own degree and their own achievements. But now they are not alone -- they will work

for a company, in a team. One needs to place a team's goal, team's success before an individual's success. In simple words

there will be less of 'I' and more of 'we'. And hence during the first six months they need to explore this new world, keep

learning while understanding the culture, knowing their peers, their seniors, their juniors, and the corporate manners.

Do you think reading and following mantras on successful career tips is enough to become successful? What's the

foolproof formula to succeed in any field that one chooses as a career?

Reading on successful career tips is definitely not enough to become successful. Moreover to every individual the meaning of

success is different and hence I do not think there is any foolproof formula for success. My book is all about sharing some of

the experiences and learnings that I had picked up during my journey through the corporate world. Knowing them and

internalising them would help the young professionals in their journey. Reading stories from the practical world would help

young professionals to relate to a situation when he or she would actually face them.

What kind of pitfalls should those in their first job guard against?

It's important for a young professional to settle down quickly and then excel in the first job. It gives us the assurance reminding

us that we are good and we are there to succeed. Failing in the first job can often jeopardise one's confidence. It's a transition

time and thus it is important to understand the way corporate world functions and adapt to its unwritten rules.

You have likened corporate career to a jungle in your book. What makes you think the corporate world is like a

jungle?

I love jungles, so as the corporate world. And probably that was the start of my thinking of linking the two. I think the theory of

the survival of the fittest could be applied to both these world aptly. This was the main reason why I linked the two worlds... it's

simple, if you are the fittest; you will survive and move ahead in the corporate world.

Ten dos and don'ts that lead to a successful corporate career...

There are many mantras I believe that can be helpful as we walk through the professional world, hence isolating top ten would

not be right. But in my mind, if I have to force-fit the top ten, I would go with the following (in no particular order):

Having an open mind to learn, unlearn and relearn

Living with the positives / never giving up attitude

Impeccable integrity including remaining apolitical

Understanding the expectation and delivering beyond the stated expectation

Ability to take risks, accept mistakes and embrace criticism

Careful preparation for any conversation -- ability to communicate effectively

Ability to look beyond numbers / analysis and ask the right question

Ability to look at things with simplicity and use of common sense to solve a problem

Putting organisation's interest before self, learning to work in a team

Learn to manage time and take care of oneself

Qualities that will help India's youth carve out a niche for themselves in whichever sector they are employed in...

I just spoke about the top ten qualities above. We are a young country and I take a lot of pride in the youths of our country.

Even today our youth carves out a niche for themselves in whichever sector / whichever country they are.

Ten must dos for first-timers on their very first day in office...

Do not be late – the need for discipline starts from Day 1

Dress aptly – don't over dress, or under dress

Don't be tensed – no one is going to beat you

Have confidence – as you need the job, the organisation needs you equally

Remind yourself about your goal as you enter the office

Do not try to leave early – even when you may have been seating idle

Smile, greet people but do not rush to develop your network

Walk around and get accustomed to the office atmosphere

Listen to your presenter / guide carefully – even when you may not be able to relate to many things

Get organised; start a do list

Ten lessons you learned in your illustrious career so far and how have these lessons shaped your book Make It Or

Break It – Mantras For A Successful Career

There is no magic wand for success. It is those small steps every day that will take you to a greater height. Hence

there is no shortcut to success. We need to succeed, but not at somebody else's cost. Fairness should be part of the

game

We need to keep learning and experience everything, it is important to dirty your hand, get grassroots experience

We should set a clear goal for ourselves, keep reminding ourselves of our goal and then lead our life with positive

attitude

We need to learn to manage time

We need to learn to assume risk, take decisions that no one has taken before

If we fail to plan, we plan to fail is an eternal truth

We need to listen all the time

We must never lose our integrity

We should never blame others. It never works. We must deserve before we desire

We must enjoy every moment of our corporate journey and take care of ourselves

Image: The book cover of Make It Or Break It; Inset: Partha Sarathi Basu

Tags: Partha Sarathi Basu , Akzo Nobel , Whirlpool India , IFB Group , Spice Jet Ltd

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Total 19 messages Pages | 1 | 2 Older >

TALENT SURVIVES

by annamalai raju (View MyPage) on Dec 26, 2012 10:50 AM | Hide replies

Person with the mind of CHANAKYA OR talent of NARAD MUNI only can survive in corporate world.

Forward | Report abuse

Re: TALENT SURVIVES

by RAPCHIK (View MyPage) on Dec 26, 2012 11:04 AM

Very true !!


Life is simple dont make it comlicated

by Bull Seena (View MyPage) on Dec 26, 2012 10:50 AM | Hide replies

so if u run behind someones dream you are only running behind his dreams, sit at one place and decide what u want

to be and ensure that no one will influence your decission to live as you wish. Got it??


Re: Life is simple dont make it comlicated

by srinivas satyanarayan (View MyPage) on Dec 26, 2012 10:57 AM

bull sheet :)


RE

by Guy (View MyPage) on Dec 26, 2012 10:46 AM | Hide replies

A person who can manage corporate politics survives in that world


Re: RE

by Bharat Bhavsar (View MyPage) on Dec 26, 2012 10:49 AM

very very true


Subject is wrong

by Inder Raj (View MyPage) on Dec 26, 2012 10:44 AM | Hide replies

It should be as ONLY THE FILTHIEST SURVIVE IN CORPORATE WORLD


Re: Subject is wrong

by adalrich kauffman (View MyPage) on Dec 26, 2012 10:55 AM

TRUE


DIVERTING PUBLIC ATTENTION FROM GAG RAPE ?

by linusthelion (View MyPage) on Dec 26, 2012 10:29 AM | Hide replies

HOW COME THIS ARBITRARY SUBJECT IS MAKING HEADLINES NOW ?

I THOUGHT THE WHOLE COUNTRY IS SEETHING IN ANGER AND AGITATION AGAINST THE DELHI GANG

RAPE ?

OR IS IT ANOTHER CASE OF MEDIA ROLE IN MISLEADING PUBLIC AND DIVERTING PUBLIC INTEREST ?

WHY ARE ALL NEWS ITEMS REGARDING THE DELHI GANG RAPE BEEN REMOVED FROM THIS WEB SITE

SUDDENLY ?

MEDIA GAG ?


Re: DIVERTING PUBLIC ATTENTION FROM GAG RAPE ?


4 of 5 12/26/2012 11:21 AM

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only the fittest survive in the corporate world' - rediff getahead

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