Profitability & Purpose- An Educationist Reflects

As we start another year, the introspective reflections over the last 12 months resonate loud. The salesman in me asks- “did my Institution's topline increase significantly?" The leader in me asks if the incentives and bonuses provided to my team and the entire staff were sufficient enough to support their families. The finance person in me questions whether the costs saved and profit maximization achieved were enough for the organization's need / greed?

Furthermore, did the Ops Head examine resource distribution efficiency? Did HR reduce attrition rates YoY? As a Career Coach and an Educationist, did I contribute to increasing the scholarship corpus for the deserving (but economically underprivileged) students who joined my institution? Did I reflect on the much needed diversity of the incoming cohort of staff and students—did we have students representing all 29 Indian states and some from Southeast Asia joining our UG and PG programs, ensuring a blend of different socioeconomic backgrounds, thereby enriching our institution with rich perspectives from variety- caste, creed, color, culture, cuisine, costume contour, and context?

Furthermore, have I diligently assisted students unable to join our institution by facilitating their enrollment in other esteemed educational establishments, thereby making sure they DON’T join lesser-known and mediocre institutions that seem to be all over the place these days…And so on

Yet, amidst all these roles, the more profound introspection comes from the human within. He questions if every thought, expression, and gesture of mine made an impact. Did I contribute to society at large by fostering unity and minimizing animosity? Did my students and colleagues spread the religion of love, belongingness, sacrifice, charity, and, most importantly, Values?

These questions guide us for a more impactful 2024.

The insightful dialogue I had with Mr. Narayana Murthy, the founder of Infosys, stands out vividly. 2023 would have been incomplete without this glorious interaction. His thoughts echoed what one must truly believe and practice----Business should go beyond making profits. What does a company exist for? What does it do to society? These must be our guiding thoughts.

May 2024 empower entrepreneurs, CEOs, and leaders to view Business as a Force for GOOD, resonating with the following words of the late Dr. Sumantra Ghoshal (Boston University, USA, & The London Business School), "If a company does not make profits, it won't survive; but if a company functions only to make profits, then it definitely won't survive long."

Let's forge ahead into 2024, aiming not just for profitability but to create a lasting sense of purpose, process, people, and most importantly, Positivity!!!

• My apology for typo errors, if any