1 The job: Like every child, I too was a big fan of Walt Disney. However, I did not know that one of his oft-quoted statements??All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them??would become my guiding force. In the last 12-odd years, I have realised that the courage to go through all the ups and downs gracefully comes from the fact that I love my job. As a company founder, the greatest excitement is to see your ideas taking shape. Most ideas initially are nameless, shapeless, formless non-entities, but giving a form to them, patiently, brick-by-brick, requires organising resources and talent. I spend a lot of my time hiring the best people, evangelising the products we build and strategising the road ahead. Routine stuff bores me to death?so I make sure I have a team of senior managers around me who are better than I am in executing the mundane but necessary tasks.
2 The weekdays: I organise my time in the office around team meetings. I make sure that I meet every team at least twice a week. Most of my meetings are short and to the point. When I?m in the office, I am constantly meeting one team after another?so at times when I need to really think alone, I put a do-not-disturb note on my door.
I devote at least 12 hours to work and business related activities but at the same time I am a strong proponent of a healthy work-life balance.
3 The weekend: The biggest problem with weekends is it usually ends on Sunday evenings. Therefore, I really don?t give a big deal to weekends. For me, everyday is an extension of work, meetings, business travel and family life. So, somewhere in my book, weekdays and weekends sort of come together, unless, of course, I am out of town. Even on weekdays, I spend quality (and quantity time) with my family. I help my boys with their Math homework and projects, which in the IB curriculum, demand real work. My little girl has 10,000 questions everyday and at times I wish I had more time to answer her never-ending queries. Some Saturdays are involved in tagging along with my wife on shopping trips (I really do not enjoy it)!
4 The toys: I never leave home without my iPhone. I got my first iPhone in 2007, within two weeks of its first launch. I am also a very hands-on tech geek so I play a lot with the latest routers, wi-fi devices, etc.
5 The logos: Being a pragmatist, I?m not into labels. What looks good on me and fits me well becomes my brand. Having said that, I am particular about my shirts. I love good shirts and my wife, who is my shopping consultant and personal shopper, makes sure I wear the best.
