Last evening as I logged on to Twitter to track the CoVid cases in Mumbai, I came across the news of the sad demise of Anshu Jain. I never worked with him nor did I have the opportunity to meet him. But still the news hit me.
As a newbie in London having just started as a banker in 2004, the rise of Anshu Jain to being named the co- head of Deutsche Bank Investment Banking was a huge motivation. He was only 39 and a non German speaking individual. Well if he could break the "glass ceiling" as an Indian woman I felt I could too. In fact he also started out in the field of derivatives and that being my chosen path as well made his success even closer to me.
A few months after Jain had taken his position, I met with a trader who was fairly close to him. I heard about his passion for the business and the many hours of hard work he put in. This individual spoke about how he had fierce loyalists in the bank, who were not just supporters because he was responsible for their successes and achievements but also because he generously shared his personal space and formed bonds. It was the first time I had heard of such fan following in the banking world and that created an impact on me. While hard work and pouring my everything into my job was a part of me, I began to observe people more after I heard about Jain. The leaders who created an impact, I guess that is what I was trying to learn.
As my career progressed I kept following Jain. His ouster from Deutsche Bank was acrid. It raised far too many questions, on both sides, for me. Yet the one thing that I observed was how he bounced back. Not just with Cantor Fitzgerald but by starting InCred in India. He may have been designated as the advisor, but one look at the management team and one saw ex Deutsche Bank all across. It was him that was the pull and certainly the vision. That he continued to create an impact in the financial industry truly showed the grit of the man and that was reiterated when I read that he outlived the doctor's prognosis by 4 years! Trust Anshu Jain to do the never done before! That's what his life was about!
Having had the above thoughts just yesterday, I woke up this morning to read that another financial industry stalwart in the country had passed on. Rakesh Jhunjhunwala was at the launch of Aksa Air just last week. I am not sure how many knew of his illness though many knew that he had multiple ailments. Yet his public appearances were always filled with optimism and a child like enthusiasm. I remember once attending a conference around 2010 where he was speaking. Someone asked him his take on the international investors' stance towards India and he in a very Rakesh Jhunjhunwala style said ," They need us more than we need them." As a banker this confidence was both refreshing and over reaching at that time. But it made me dig deeper into the reason for his conviction and value investing is something I started to appreciate tremendously.
What happened to the world of music with Lataji and then Pandit Sharma seemed to have happened to the world of financial services in the last two days. None of us can escape the universal truth that is for sure but it's only some of us who live on even beyond our mortal remains with a population larger than just our near and dear ones. Those of us who do, do so not only because of fame, accolades and success but also because of the impact made on the lives of others. That is a legacy that is difficult to beat.
Many years ago, in one of my first leadership development courses, I was part of a cohort that was asked to design their tombstone. It was a very powerful exercise but that is for another post. I took all the time that we were allotted. Yet I could not come up with anything that sounded "cool". All I came up with was, "the one who made a difference". Today I realise that early influencers in my life from the Benevolent One to my parents and then to my professional influencers from Kong to Anshu Jain to many others after that have been influencers because they made a difference. Subconsciously, that defined me as an individual and created my brand. For that I am tremendously grateful.
To be able to help someone, to be able to provide comfort someone and to be able to help someone achieve their dreams; the opportunity to contribute thus is made available to the fortunate I believe. As the Benevolent One once told me, "those who love should never be sad because there is so much joy in giving and only the generous can." I did not appreciate it then but I hope that now I can embrace and implement it. Father once said, "if we have been given the means and resources, it's not just for our benefit but to be shared with those who are really in need." He and mother have always exemplified this in action, multiple time over many many years. Kong showed me how much he cared when he took away my phone to stop me from reacting to a work situation from a position of fear. Anshu Jain showed that a leader could be a task master and yet a strong personal guide. Rakesh Jhunjhunwala exemplified how to simplify the most nuanced lessons so that everyone could benefit from deep learnings he had acquired.
As the two days have once again shown the impermanence of life, I look back at all my good fortune and am indebted for the blessed opportunities I have had and the people in my life. I also sincerely hope that with all these influencers in my life I can live up to being a small percentage of these stalwarts in terms of the people that they are. Where once my professional ambitions were moon high, today it's my personal dreams that take precedence. And as none of us know when our time will come, I hope that while I realise all my personal dreams I can also really start living a life that will make a difference.
On that note I pray that the almighty grant eternal rest to the departed souls and may He grant long and healthy lives to the influencers in my core circle. With that prayer it's a wrap for today. Have a great week ahead!
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