I’m Arshish from India, and this is my story of 8 months inside a ping pong ball.
I’m a passionate, liberal and curious individual. My range of interests include music, movies (+Oscars), books, cricket, badminton, psychology, economics, business and architecture.
Before joining IMD I worked at JLL (a real estate consulting firm) in India. As Business Analyst to the CEO I helped the leadership team plan and execute India’s strategic priorities. I also helped commercial occupiers with analytics, planning and execution for their long-term portfolio strategy.
The key drivers for me are excellence, curiosity and generosity, and all of them together. It’s extremely important that everyone feels engaged and committed to everything we undertake together, the result will not be perfect the first time, but if you feel connected to one another – the final outcome will be more original and interesting because you helped everyone feed their curiosity.
My biggest learning in life (and especially here at IMD) is that all stress/anxiety and adversity are only temporary. By learning to accept this fact – whenever something comes along which threatens to ruin your day, you remember that everything stemming from it is only temporary – which means there’s no need to worry. Learning to cope with adversity is the single biggest learning you can have because it’s connected to the fundamental thread of our existence.
My role model is Abraham Lincoln (who provided the quote used in my title). He stood for the very best in all of us, because he knew how to sacrifice personal ambition for societal gains. Lincoln was never afraid to do things the hard way – because he understood that doing the right thing meant setting a precedent for all time and because we are all working towards something that’s bigger than ourselves. I think Goldwater was channeling him a 100 years later when he said “Extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice, and moderation in the pursuit of justice is no virtue”. When you’re fighting for the survival of an idea, you have to be 100% committed to the cause.
Success isn’t a role, position, or place. It’s a state of mind that’s balanced, content and peaceful in a never-ending present moment. I’d rather have balanced good than unbalanced extremes. Success stems from going to bed everyday knowing that you’ve given it your best shot and waking up the next morning ready to do the same.
The ideal work environment is therefore one where the only directive is to build something amazing. And then have the resources to take this amazing product and make it impactful. Where people collaborate freely, and share the responsibility and joy of truly changing the world – yes, some companies do this very effectively today too.
Arshish
LinkedIn
