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Sethu V

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Sethu V

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VirtueCG

Blogs (4)

Sethu V is a member of:

Advice For New Professionals:

Have a mid to long term vision about where you want to be in 5 to 10 years time.
Find a mentor and cultivate an open mind to listen, learn and change from 'inside'

Cultivate the skill and habit of interacting with people from various walks of life, making friends and expanding your network. It will be very beneficial if you choose to strike it on your own, in future

Family Background

I am from an ordinary background like most Indians.

My parents gave me good education. We didn't have acute shortage of anything, nor did I have things in plenty, I think that should explain it well.

I am married to an IT Professional who has now chosen to become a business women and caring home maker

I have two kids, both boys. We play cricket during free times and turn the house upside down!!

The Journey So Far:

I completed my Mechanical Engineering degree in 1989 and then an M.Tech from ISI Kolkata. I worked for leading corporates like Crompton Greaves, Marico Industires and GTL across functions namely Operations, Quality, Supply Chain, Projects, New Product Development, Consumer services, Strategy, Marketing and E-Business/IT areas.

I quit full time employment in 2005 to co-found my first venture 'eXample Consulting Group' offering Strategy, Analytics, Process / Operations and E-Business Consulting, advisory, training and certification programs to corporates and individuals. In 2010, my second venture Prosumer Partners - A Social E-Commerce franchise business was launched helping anyone to 'Create a second stream of income'. In 2011, my third venture 'Alpha Consulting Group' offering Retail Sales and Marketing consulting and training was launched. In 2013, my fourth venture 'eesysite.com' got launched. I also play active role as Financial trustee at www.iocsg.org (An Not-for-profit entity)

Degrees That Matter:

I recommend every individual get qualified in three core areas which are most important for success in one's career or entrepreneurial stint. The skill areas include:
Leadership and People Management, Domain and Functional skills and Technology / IT skills. Regarding Domain and Functional skills, one can choose to pursue specialization in an area of interest (say Operations, Sales, HR etc with industry domain knowledge gained through real work experience). At the end of the day, to be successful, one needs strong 'life skills' which are encapsulated in Leadership and People management, so this is very important. Regarding IT / Technology skills, if one wishes to specialize in a particular functional area, then operational skills are good enough, but to succeed in specialized technology business, acquiring technological skills in those fields is equally important for eg., ERP / SCM / CRP apps, Architecting, Analysis, Business Intelligence etc. etc.

Prized Accomplishment(s):

I deliver the best in whatever I do, despite constraints and difficulties one may face.

I have twice been bestowed with "Leadership award" for exceptional functional leadership during my career.

I am proud of contributing to the organizations and society with my "Enabling excellence" training programs that help people to get out of "ordinary" mindset and strive to become "the best" or "extraordinary" in whatever they may wish to do..

My personal mission is to create the next generation of professionals and citizens who "excel in thinking and action". I can say I strive to be an "eXcellence eVangelist" helping others to become one too!!

Working Life Management:

I travel about 15+ days a month, so it is quite challenging to manage work and life. When I am at base location, I usually work from "home office" that helps me to spend meaningful time with kids and spouse. We catch up time as family with yearly outings and family get together in a planned way.

Growth Strategy:

I keep upgrading myself continuously by reading books or e-books on a wide range of subjects, watch and listen to TED Talks, meet and interact with people from various walks of life and learn from each interaction. After all, knowledge is abound all around us, it is just that we should be willing to have an open mind, inclination and allocate time to absorb it and apply it in our life.

Job Profile:

I am responsible for strategy, operations and practice leadership. My role is to identify market opportunities and how to design and deliver products and services that best meet the needs of identified customer segments either in India or globally. I provide overall direction and guidance on running the business and mentor people to drive organizational growth and profitability as well as personal and professional growth. I believe in setting high standards of excellence in what ever I do and urge people whom I work with to do the same

Changes In The Professional Environment:

The current crop of work force is quite young, internet savvy and wishes to conquer the world in a very short time (nothing wrong with it!!). But, it is important to keep in mind that team work is vital for any organization's growth, hence the ability to create a team and lead it requires strong belief in themselves and others, a great attitude to life and impeccable character. You need to invest in yourself to build all these qualities that will help you move towards success!!

Role Model:

Mahatma Gandhi and Swami Vivekananda are two of my strongest role models. Mahatma Gandhi for the resilience he had and the innovative and unique approach to claiming independence for India through Satyagraha and Ahimsa.

Swami Vivekananda for his exceptional knowledge of India, Hinduism and how universal brotherhood can be achieved through binding humanity together.

Both were excellent in whatever they did and I have ready many of their books and got to know about their deeds that inspires me to surmount obstacles and push ahead

Other Thoughts:

I enjoy being part of this community and sharing my knowledge and expertise with the next generation of professionals. If it benefits the community in some way and brings about positive change in people, I consider a small contribution to the society

Done Differently:

I would spend more time interacting with potential customers or buyers of our products and services. This would open up a better understanding of their implicit needs that will help us to win in the market faster.

I would also like to experiment much more with respect to our products and services, approach to the market and way we do things so that we can learn faster and find the best way to address ever changing market needs

So, understanding customers more and experimentation are two things I would do differently, if I start business all over again

Contribution to the field

Launching and growing multiple business ventures within a six year period
Launching one of the first and modern online community platforms to bring our patrons and clients online for continuing education
Setting excellence standard of never cancelling, rescheduling or postponing any training program that our organization conducts in public and achieving it continuously for over 250+ programs till date (we want to make it 1000+ soon!!)

The Decisions That Matter

I got the opportunity to take up a job soon after engineering degree, but I chose to pursue higher studies (M.Tech) instead.

I discovered I had a passion for training and helping others to learn and early on in my career when I got the opportunity to get trained as a trainer, I grabbed it with both hands immediately. This skill has proven to be extremely valuable in communicating better with others and helping others to learn and perform better.

I boldly pursued career by switching from one industry to other. This has significantly broadened my horizon and helped me to appreciate various facets of a business organization, bringing in the much needed General management skills that are very valuable when turning into an entrepreneur

Required Reading:

Books - The Magic of Thinking Big, My experiments with truth, How to win friends and influence people, Principle centered leadership