Living life to the hilt

A management professional with vast experience in steering techno-commercial functions, Gurpal Singh Rattan, has recently also donned the hat of an author. A collaborative team member, Gurpal Singh Rattan has been a creative strategist who has revamped the functioning of world-class companies. His second inning after retirement from Tata Bearings as the CEO, was with the academic world, where he worked as a Professor and an Administrator in an Engineering college for 11 years. The exposure to the student world inspired him to venture into his third inning as an author-penning down the book “10 Steps to the Boardroom”. In an exclusive interview with Corporate Citizen, he talks about his work philosophy and how he maintains a work-life balance

Corporate Citizen: How do you set out your priorities to keep your work and personal life balanced?

Gurpal Singh Rattan: I have always kept a proper balance between my personal and professional life as I realised at an early stage of my career that family needs to always be a priority in life if one wants to enjoy the fruits of the hard work. I have never brought office work to home or let my personal beliefs colour the opinion of my children. This created a peaceful environment at home and encouraged my children to form their own beliefs. Both I and my wife believed that showcasing this balance by leading a life that demonstrated it was a great way of teaching our children rather than telling them about it.

CC: While on the move, what helps you the most in maintaining calm and peace?

Switching off all electronic devices and enjoying the scenic beauty outside. Talk to people you meet and create memories. This has a huge potential to create a calming effect on one’s mind. Meditation is also a go-to method for me to maintain calm nerves.

CC: What keeps you fit and healthy?

Don’t underestimate the power of routine. Our ancient sages to modern doctors all agree that creating a routine, eating on time and exercising is a great way to manage your health successfully. I have done this all my life. Thanks to my wife who was an athlete herself, who enforced this rule with our entire family and encouraged me to follow the suit. She made this a habit for me. I follow this till today and credit it for my good health.

CC: How do you like to rejuvenate, recharge and de-stress?

My stress busters always have been reading a book or a magazine of my choice which helped me to cut off from stressful situations. I have been a health-conscious person throughout my career and picked up the habit of 30 minutes of walking every morning or evening followed by 15 minutes of simple yoga exercises which rejuvenated me and helped me charge my batteries. I do this as part of my routine and the endorphins released can beat any relaxation therapy you can name. Along with this, I have always made it a point to take up at least one (if not two) annual holidays with my family to different locations. This has always helped all of us to stay together, get to know each other, and develop a strong family bond. It has also helped me to fulfil my emotional needs, which are equally important to creating a peaceful mind.

"My success secret has always been to stay focussed on your goal, learn from your failures, take responsibility and share the credit of success with all the team members"

-Gurpal Singh Rattan

CC: Five tips that work the best for you to maintain a work-life balance.

• Give equal priority to your family life along with your work schedule. Learn to find a balance.
• Stay focussed on the goal you have set up for yourself. You have to achieve it. No one else will do it for you.
• Believe in team-building and empowering the team members to deliver the goods. This will be crucial to your life balance.
• Exhibit a high degree of empathy towards your team members at all levels. This will be essential to your peace of mind and help you to create boundaries for yourself and your team.
• Develop a hobby to de-stress, time to exercise, meditate and do some social work to create your circle of calm.

CC: Do you play any game which helps you in your work?

I have been a hockey and badminton player during my college time. I added billiards to it when I started working. I used to play along with my colleagues on weekends. A huge believer in the bond that sports brings to teamwork, I have always encouraged all opportunities to do so. For most of our team building in the organisation, we used to organise Inter Department Football tournaments in which, I also used to participate along with the full team. We ensured there was a good mix of senior and junior team members and gave them roles that were not based on their designation. It helped them show their talent at various positions in the team. And I saw a dramatic effect and change in the attitude in the group dynamics.

CC: What is the secret of your success?

My success secret has always been to stay focussed on your goal, learn from your failures, take responsibility and share the credit of success with all the team members.

CC: What is your philosophy of work?

My philosophy of work has been not to indulge in petty company politics and stay away from negative people who spread negativity.

CC: What message you would like to give to youngsters on time management?

I would recommend to the youngsters that Time is Money, so do not waste it on gossiping and learn the value of Time Management. Effective Time Management only will give you enough time to attend to other priorities of life. Developing a new hobby or pursuing your childhood or college time hobby is the best way to stay stress-free and stay creative in a competitive environment. A stress-free person only excels in managing his professional career. A calm mind is always more creative and can investigate the future more confidently. Take your profession and assignments very seriously and give your best shot at it and I am sure you will get noticed by people who matter.

CC: What dreams remain to be fulfilled?

I had created a bucket list and today, I can confidently say that I have crossed off almost every childhood dream during this professional journey of almost 50 years. Now, I would like to spend time travelling to some chosen places in the world to see and enjoy nature’s mysterious locations and write on different subjects to share my knowledge with the next generation.

CC: Where do we see yourself 10 years from now?

Ten years down the line, I would like to be known as an author who has inspired an entire generation of professionals to be the best. One who is still being read and discussed among like-minded readers. A decade from now, I would like to continue being a guest speaker on various topics, share my experiences and motivate young minds.