On the evening of January 14, 2000, I was attending a session with our Global CEO at a five-star property in Mumbai. As the Branch Manager of the Jodhpur branch, I was one of 42 Branch Managers from all over India in attendance. The CEO announced that he would visit all the branches that disburse more than Rs10 million worth consumer loans in the month of November 2000, and he wanted Branch Managers who felt confident of qualifying to stand up.
I stood up along with the Branch Managers of the four major cities of Mumbai, Delhi , Chennai and Calcutta . Everyone in the room, including my supervisor, smiled at my gesture, as my branch was one-tenth the size of all the others standing. My market size itself was approximately 12 mn , and I would have to capture the entire market to even come near to 10 mn qualification bar .
Come November, the Jodhpur branch was the first branch to qualify, with a market share of over 80%. We were named one of the "Sarvottam" branches. This was the result of the sheer hard work that every single team member had put in for the last nine months in deepening relationships with channel partners, driven by our burning desire to put our best possible efforts without bothering about the end results.
In April 2001, I was the youngest among the six Branch Managers who were elevated to Regional Head roles.
Never ever constrain your potential . Don't get bogged down by enormity of targets . Prepare diligently for the Journey and put your best foot forward . I tasted the Mantra with this success and was able to repeat it multiple times in my corporate career . There were few occasions where I failed to cross the line but the learnings of Journey were ammunition for further journey's .
I am sure many of you would have similar experiences . Share them to work as Lighthouses for community .