The CACTUS Way #8: Be happy. Be healthy. Enjoy the ride.
Everyone needs to introspect and answer the following questions at some point in their career: What makes you happy at work? And what keeps you going?
Looking back on my career, I’ve realized there’s a common thread in all the roles I’ve taken on: I’m handed a problem or challenge, and once I fix it, I’m given another one. This is what keeps me going.
My journey at CACTUS has taught me many lessons, some of which I’ll share here.
Lesson #1 Understand what you want to be—Once you know what you want to achieve, you will be able to chart your course. I joined CACTUS as a designer, but I wanted to be a marketer and everything I did was aimed towards that goal. I was given a chance to prove myself by my manager who put me in charge of a business that needed attention. At the time, our transcription business was struggling and I was asked to take it on. Once we started seeing some success here, I was asked to take on another business called i-osmosis. Once again, with the help of a dedicated team, we managed to hit some milestones. My manager was convinced that I was ready to take on a marketing role. I was put in charge of the Editage website, which, back then, did not generate the leads we see now. This was my first marketing role and a learning experience. With teamwork, we started seeing results. Leads started coming in almost immediately. After this, there was no looking back.
Lesson #2 To make an impact, you need to step out of your comfort zone—In 2010, Anurag wanted me to relocate to China to set up operations there. China was a notoriously difficult market to penetrate and I was not familiar with the culture or business sensibility. And I had no experience setting up a business, let alone in a new country.
As expected, it was an uphill battle. It was completely different from handling online marketing. This new role required me to meet people, participate in conversations, and form relationships. It was a new and intimidating experience, but it was the requirement of the role. The rewards started paying off slowly, and by the third year of my move to China, we had reached a scale we could be happy with. This was the most challenging but rewarding stint of my career.
Lesson #3 Don’t back down from new challenges—Each new thing you take on has the potential to teach you something new about the task at hand and about yourself. After China, I was asked to take on the Global Marketing function, and in the last few years, I’ve been given the responsibility of scaling new businesses, markets, and brands. Each new responsibility came with its set of challenges. But the process of overcoming these challenges was enlightening. You think you know everything till you are presented with a new problem.
Lesson #4 Leave your ego behind—When you work with people across markets and functions, you are bound to clash with someone whose working style does not match your own. But it’s important to work past your emotions. Place your doubts, concerns, and reservations on the table and engage in discussions. This “grounding” will allow you to collaborate with people who may not understand your approach but are aligned with the same goal. Also, don’t approach someone with baggage from the past.
I’m grateful that the leadership trusted me with huge responsibilities, let me make mistakes, and figure things out for myself. This experience has helped me learn and grow and help others learn and grow. This cycle of failing and learning is what will help you scale new heights.
This writeup is part of a series called The CACTUS Way Leader Stories. The CACTUS Way is what we collectively call our 8 guiding principles. We asked the senior cadre at CACTUS to share personal experiences where they practiced or identified with these guiding principles. These stories of struggle and reinvention, despair and hope, conflict and collaboration, and self-doubt and self-discovery make for an interesting read.
Learn more about The CACTUS Way here: https://cactusglobal.com/about-us/culture-and-values/
