Note From President Vineet Bhatnagar
ONE OF THE JINGOISTIC LINES THAT IS REPEATEDLY HEARD IN MANAGEMENT SCHOOLS OR TRAINING SESSIONS IS “THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX.” The guest speaker in our last weekly meeting shared stories and incidents from his life that have come to define him as one of the most successful professional chefs of India.
Padma Shri awardee, Sanjeev Kapoor offered a peek into his life which made many of us in the room realise that he is more than just the best professional in his chosen field. Not only has he excelled as the master chef of Indian cuisine but he has also pushed the envelope for his entire tribe. The conviction that he exhibited from early days of his career led him to achieve his personal goals but far more importantly the central theme of his journey, that I noted, was to bring respect to his profession. His conviction and approach have redefined and lifted the whole set of professionals who were always made to operate inside a box.
Clarity of goals and innate capability to reach them is seen in most high achievers. However, seldom do we see in
them the capacity to make a difference that outsizes and outlives their individual achievements. This was the take away for me from the very honest and entertaining interaction that Sanjeev Kapoor had with our audience. Like many in the room, I was expecting to hear something about his culinary skills but he shared the far more important core” of his personality and character. This made the afternoon absolutely delightful. When we push the boundaries of technical excellence we are likely to taste the sweetness of unprecedented success but when we start viewing the possibilities of how our individual skills and techniques can be shared with public at large then the colours on the canvas of our life start unfolding a work of art whose final form and impact remains unknown.
Very few of us manage to think outside the box, merely because we are conditioned to think in a particular way either by our predecessors or, even, mentors. It takes courage to see beyond the daily tasks that we do at our work place and requires even greater obstinacy to make the world see us in a different light when we command respect for
even the most mundane work. Such people clearly operate outside the box or better still they do not see the box at all.
“THINK OUTSIDE THE
BOX, COLLAPSE THE
BOX, AND TAKE A
_________ SHARP KNIFE
TO IT.” ~ BANKSY
— President Vineet Bhatnagar