The job: There are far too many things that I love about my job. First and foremost, dealing with the opportunities and challenges associated with organisational transformation is a definite high. Secondly, India being a primarily scale-driven market, requires out-of-the-box approaches towards creating and sustaining service delivery infrastructure. Third, the market opportunity for Xerox in India is huge, and what is even more exciting is that a large part of the addressable services market is a 'Blue Ocean’ space. The name of the game is delightful execution. Lastly, leading within the new, emerging realities itself is a hugely exciting endeavour.
The weekdays: During the week, I am mostly engaged in strategic and tactical meetings, client calls and business governance aspects. Periodically, I try to do one-on-one meetings with my direct reports to understand how they are progressing versus their goals, and if there are any roadblocks that they need my help to deal with. I also ensure periodic communication with all employees about how we are tracking and what mid-course corrections, if any, we need to make. Of course, travel is an essential part of conducting business and that takes away almost 20% of my pool of business hours. I also try to attend relevant industry events to keep myself abreast with the shape of things to come. India, being a super demanding and extremely competitive marketplace, requires one to be on one’s toes round the year. One needs to master the art of unwinding given all the pushes and pulls that one constantly faces, or else, burn-out is a distinct possibility. At the end of the day, I try to spend quality time with my spouse and my boys aged 4 and 8 years whenever feasible.
The weekend: I like to get away with my family during the weekends whenever possible. Mumbai, thankfully, offers great options within reasonable driving distance. We also visit our club and socialise with friends quite often. The kids have loads of interesting events lined up every other weekend which also keeps us busy. I love long drives and whenever we have long weekends, we venture out to places such as Goa by road. Being in India, one cannot ignore Bollywood and cricket, so we frequently catch the latest flicks and cricket matches. My iPod is always there as a great companion on my long walks in the park during the weekends.
The logos: When it comes to gadgets, my favourites are Sony Experia and iPad 2. These devices are great for business as well as unwinding during flights or on my way home. Off late, I have taken to Galaxy Note2 as another option. If all else fails, I always have my good old Dell laptop to give me company.
The toys: When it comes to apparel brands, I like Lacoste, Tommy Hilfiger, Polo and Ralph Lauren. Among colognes, I prefer Dolce & Gabbana (The One) and 212 MEN (Carolina Herrera) NY.