“My motivation at work is doing quality work and bringing an impact. It gives me a lot of satisfaction and happiness when I see my actions translating into progress and good results in the organization such as an increase in top-line, increase in employee satisfaction, productivity, reduced attrition, etc.” says Jaspal Singh, Head - Sales HR at Aditya Birla Health Insurance Company Limited. 

Jaspal says that it is important to have a balanced approach in your strategy, a fine balance is critical between innovation and pragmatism. It is the people angle that mostly determines the success or failure of any strategy as it is mostly acting below the surface and gets missed out in most of the analysis and models. 

He adds that in any role, constraints always exist which may hold you back, but you have to be proactive and determined to keep pushing for excellence. 

Jaspal’s mantra to anyone early in their career is to: 

➡️ There is no substitute for hard work. 
The strongest learning happens by jumping into the deep end and managing things hands-on. No one has learned to swim in a classroom or a strategy room, one has to dive in! The development of an individual is directly proportional to the extent of first-hand exposure one gets. 

➡️ Take initiative. 
Don’t be shy in raising your hand and saying you wish to do something or be part of an initiative. You can add value at any level, and if the system has the confidence that you will add value, it will ensure that you grow. 

➡️ Have your guiding light. 
Acknowledge that you will face dilemmas, conflicts, and constraints but that is all part of life and it’s inevitable. We all have to manage these, rise beyond and deliver results. Find your inherent value system, that should be your guiding light in any such dilemmas or conflicts.