It’s been seven years since I took that supposedly, out of mind call, one fine afternoon of early March 2015. Sitting at the café of a global conglomerate at DLF Gurgaon, I picked that call from a head-hunter and after I hung that barely 10 min call, I chose not to sign on the dotted line of that lucrative offer. Not sure what egged me then to take that daring call, but I did.

In this time and age when everybody seems to be on a constant lookout for change in almost anything, the fact that I managed to beat the 7 years’ itch leading to my second long stint in a 24-year long career (Wow, it’s 24 years already!) never fails to surprise people. I started my career with a 10years’ stint and perhaps now at the closing end on career, a 7years’ and still rolling with Pi Datacenters

In fact, at times I wonder how I managed to do it, that too twice and why?

I think at the core of it is TRUST.

TRUST that, I want to take up a challenge

TRUST that, what I am getting into is new and I am going to make it disruptive

TRUST that, I am convinced with the vision

TRUST that, I am not going to leave it half baked

TRUST that, I am going to make it count

If my appetite for facing the unknown was what got me to take up my first job, my ever aspiration to be a part of something disruptive and historical was what propelled my decision to join Pi. If my first long stay shaped me as a professional that I am today, my stint with Pi is giving me the opportunity to shape the big dream of setting up India’s home grown hyperscale datacenter and enterprise cloud. Thanks to Kalyan Muppaneni (Founder & CEO of Pi), for showing trust in me, when things were intangible and only on papers.

I still find myself as inquisitive to learning and exploring unventured paths, as I was on the 1st day of my career.

Today, even after all these years, I am still excited to get to work, hop into those virtual and in-person meetings, engage in interesting discussions, be challenged by situations, take the challenge head on but with respect, hand hold the new breed of professionals and most importantly continue to dream big. With Pi, I never felt like being on a job. It has been about living my personal dream and seeing it come to life.

It’s a different level of satisfaction to work with this exciting new breed of young professionals and build an ecosystem (yes,Pi is not a company but an ecosystem). This group is very Intelligent (not artificially) and humane by DNA. We are driven by a strong culture and not just revenue returns. We are aggressive in our approach, but not abrasive in behaviour. We are profitable, but without compromising on values. We do fail, but never fail to learn. 

Over time, my role transformed from being sales focused to revenue focused. From driving people to driving behavioural transformation in people. A hair-line difference to the naked eyes, but a sea difference when seen through our lens. Times have changed, things have become more and more challenging, with higher stakes. I’ve had the opportunity to work with some great minds in the past and even today. I don’t make friends at work, but I have earned relations for life, at Pi, both at the management level and within the larger Pi’oneer community. We have worked smart and partied hard. We are constantly challenging the status quo both internally and externally to reinvent ourselves. I’ve learnt to not get defocused from the actual goal.

When asked what makes me stay longer at a company, I kind of zero in on these 3 aspects:

1.Vision Driven Companies: Being part of an organisation that is creating milestones and history is something that I just can’t let go. It started 7 years back alongside just handful other pairs of eyes and a dream. I’ve seen that dream extrapolating into a mission. There’s that sense of legacy being created and a constant reminder of how amazing it is to play a role in something great. It goes without saying that I owe it to Pi for giving me this envious opportunity to create history.

2.Continuous Learning Opportunity: I learn and discover something new every day. It’s one of the perks, I can’t let go either……

3.Challenging Status Quo: There is a school of thought that might say, Change is Constant. I chose to be that constant and saw the change upfolding (disruptive, isn’t it?) around me. Every time there have been situations where I wanted to give up, the joy of beating the odds, being at Pi, far outweighed the reasons to look out.

To everyone who wants to give up on challenges and find short term escape routes or easier lanes, are most welcome to do so. Just remember that unless you go through fire and hammers, you won’t gold out or become a quartz. You need to be honest and prove yourself. Success and glitters would follow. Doing things that enable you to do what you want and what you’re passionate about, will do wonders to your personal as well as professional lives.

Like it’s said, “The magic always happens outside your comfort zone!”

You Win Or You Learn ∞! 

#BeatingThe7YearsItch