An evening with Lulu Raghavan at BITSoM
It was a pleasure to host my friend , brand guru and CEO of Landor and Fitch, Lulu Raghavan at the BITSoM campus. This was the first in a series of CXO conversations organised by our career services team. It was also the first offline leadership conversation on the BITSoM campus. . I led the conversation with her. We covered her early life and formative influences, what her MBA taught her about leadership, her love affair with branding, some examples of branding case studies, tips for students of branding and marketing, the challenges and rewards of being a woman leader in India, and finally, work life balance. There were many student questions, and she was patient, authentic, insightful, and inspiring. I took away many useful tips, and will list some of them, with my own comment on application.
In terms of situations that we face at work, the ratio of collaborative: competitive situations are 80:20.
My takeaway is that our default filter when we get into an interaction should be collaborative (unfortunately most people do not practice this).
Seek out different and interesting stimuli-this could include reading, travel, the pursuit of multiple hobbies etc
My takeway was the need to consciously inject variety and multiple interests into the day to day- if your stimuli are not varied, it is likely that your creativity will dip.
The arc of your day is the arc of your day is the arc of your life
If the things you care about are not reflected in your daily or weekly schedule, then you are not living your life in a way that is consistent with your priorities. This could apply to self-development, health, exercise, relationships and more. If we do not find dedicated time for it, it will get lost over time.
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Find at least two hours a week to do something that makes you feel alive.
The key here is that it is planned- it could be a walk, a rerun of a favourite movie, a meet up with old friends, a conversation with a mentor or something else. The point is that this is an individual go to activity, and it not just done on an impulse but built into a schedule.
There were many more insights-I have just highlighted a few that I will do something with.
Our students asked many good questions, and the depth of the interaction can be understood from the following post by one of our students:
Corporate Communications | Brand & Reputation Management | ESG & CSR | Public Affairs & Advocacy | Digital Marketing | Crisis Management
2yRemarkable insights. Thankyou for sharing. My favorite one: "If the things you care about are not reflected in your daily or weekly schedule, then you are not living your life in a way that is consistent with your priorities." Lulu ma'am always leads by example.
Educator / Consultant / Author / Chartered Engineer / Quality Assessor Change Facilitator / Project Manager / Trainer / Mentor. Presently Faculty at Maharashtra National Law University Mumbai
2yPractical and useful. Thanks for sharing.
Head Customer Excellence - L&T Realty
2yLoved the personal insights..especially to keep oneself energised on the inside ..week on week, in this fast changing world..glad to see face to face meetings begin at the campus !
Brand and Design evangelist. President APAC at Landor. Expertise in all aspects of brand transformation including creating new brands, refreshing tired brands and optimising brand architecture.
2yIt was such an honour to have had this candid, free flowing conversation about careers, creativity and more with you and your founding batch at BITSoM, Ranjan. Your questions prompted great reflection on the journey thus far and food for thought on what’s next. Loved being on campus, soaking up the vibe and interacting with all the young, bright minds. The holistic curriculum you are shaping makes me want to be a student of business all over again! A special thanks for taking the time to share your takeaways from our conversation. Wishing you and everyone at BITSoM all the very best for all the new trails you are sure to blaze!
Professor Emeritus at N.L. Dalmia Institute of Management Studies and Research
2yCongratulations 🎉