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Prasad Rao

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Prasad Rao

Freelance Consultant

Influenced by

It is not so much 'who' rather than 'what' has influenced me. Rudyard Kipling's 'IF', Khalil Gibran's 'The Prophet', nearly all of Richard Bach's & Michael Crichton's works and the music of Dire Straits, The Rolling Stones and Lynyrd Skynyrd among others.

Thoughts on Education system of our country

The quality of education has deteriorated alarmingly. I have witnessed a 7th grader from a so called elite private school struggling with basic English grammar. The government run schools barely have blackboards and desks, while the teachers do not meet minimum standards themselves. Education standards need to be defined in line with the best in the world, and adequate investments needs to be made by the Government to improve education standards. It should be made mandatory for all educated individuals to set aside time for voluntary teaching work in under-privileged areas. Technology can be used to bring education to remote areas and necessary train the trainer programs need to be implemented to ensure standards of delivery.

Qualities needed to become a successful leader

1. Empathy 2. Active listening skills 3. Ability and willingness to empower individuals 4. Set an example 5. Know when to direct and when to coach 6. Show intent 7. Face reality and problems head-on 8. Team above all else - no one is bigger than the team 9. Take ownership of failures and distribute credit for successes 10. Celebrate success

Couple of years from now

Hopefully in a sea-front house, relaxing on the beach with a single-malt in my hand, Floyd on the stereo and with my wife for company

Ensuring success

Interact more with people in my industry and in my specific domain. Develop an extensive network of like-minded individuals to share and expand knowledge, while making a contribution to society to positively impact lives.

My role model

JRD Tata for his unshakable integrity in the face of tremendous odds; Nelson Mandela for living his values and setting an example for an entire nation; Imran Khan for leadership and social service;

Brief description about me

17 years into my professional life and I am still learning. Learning new aspects about life and work, and in the process discovering new facets about myself I never knew existed. Helping organizations to to be more productive is what I do. Empowering teams and individuals to be leaders is what I am passionate about. I have been fortunate to have worked with several organizations across diverse industry segments which have helped me to be who I am today; with people who have shaped my thoughts, honed my ideas and empowered me by simply allowing me to be me. I am a voracious reader and consider myself well-travelled. Living and working with culturally diverse teams spread across the Americas and Asia has given me an insight into the mindset and cultural differences between the two hemispheres, which has helped me tremendously in people-transactions. Issues like animal welfare touches me deeply, while mentoring people motivates me.

My achievements

A significantly high number of individuals across organizations whom I have had the privilege to lead, and who themselves are in leadership roles now, have told me that they, consciously or otherwise, use my leadership methods and coaching techniques with a lot of success. I feel proud to have made this positive contribution in their lives.

My strongest skill

Leadership and mentoring; Business processes and process improvement methodologies

Degree that I recommend

Six-sigma (GB, preferably BB); Statistics and Analytics; Operations management