Discover your Life Tree and unleash the “wow” in you and others

IAIP was pleased to host Ram Kedlaya, CEO and Founder of Group Tminus, for a Speaker Event held in Mumbai on 18th September 2012. The topic of discussion focused on global leadership, self-discovery and unleashing one’s potential to manifest the “wow” in oneself and others. This insightful and interactive session was well received by the members.

Ram began his presentation by quoting Galileo “You cannot teach a man anything; you can only help him find it within himself.” He then asked participants some basic questions like “What is Success?” and “Is it the same as Fulfillment?” He said, “life was all about the choices one makes” and urged participants to keep the process of self discovery a continuous one.

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Ram then highlighted some of the key attributes of leadership, which included ability to inspire, communicate, network, learn, execute and take on risk. He discussed the importance of both verbal and written communication, broadly dividing it into 4 categories namely transaction, inspiration, written and verbal. The ability of a leader to observe, learn, be curious, and be a good storyteller is what set him apart. A leader must be able to create a following for his ideas which would help in inspiring people. He must have the ability to connect the dots when data is insufficient. Ram also stressed the importance of having a mentor for it gave a different perspective to life.

Domain expertise does matter. Citing the examples of Bollywood, which is an industry that continuously keeps innovating, and legendary actor Amitabh Bachchan, who Ram believed had the tenacity to keep innovating and adjust to the new formats and demands of the industry. Another example was that of M.K Gandhi, who displayed most of the qualities discussed above.

Following the talk on leadership, Ram shifted focus to the concept of tree of life. He used the tree as a metaphor for life comparing roots to the core values and beliefs that makes up a person, branches to ones skills, desires and material pleasures and the trunk to the mind and body which keeps everything connected. Ram also shared his tree of life with participants for better understanding. Overall the discussion was very interactive, with participants engaging Ram with their questions during his presentation.

About the Speaker

Ram Kedlaya is a Founder and CEO of Group Tminus, a leadership development company based in Silicon Valley and Bangalore. As a business coach, career mentor and CEO Advisor, he has shared his experience with aspiring leaders in AT&T, Motorola, Microsoft and Startups. He is also a Business Advisory Council Member for the MBA program at University of Washington, Seattle.

Ram brings over 30 years of experience as an entrepreneur, senior executive in multiple startups in USA and Fortune 100 companies. He has experience in global business planning for large companies, building products and bringing them to market, as well as International sales and marketing in multiple countries including USA, India, Japan, Europe, Brazil, China, Asia Pac and Australia. Ram is an alumnus of IIT Madras.

Contributions from: Sitaraman V Iyer, IAIP Volunteer

Photos from: Santosh Samal