I was sitting in the room of a Plant Head of my client when a person asked him if he can come inside. The plant head just declined it by saying a ‘No’. After 5 minutes one more person peeped inside and asked whether he can come inside. Plant Head invited him and happily introduced it with me.  As a curiosity, I asked him why the first one was sent back while the second one was a big welcome by him. His reply gave me a great lesson. He said the first one always comes with problems or grudges or complaining about a lack of support from others and justifying why he is unable to do the assigned work. Plant Head again said ‘his complaining face, creat an ulcer as I am frequently loaded with so many critical issues and his face simply reminds me that one more problem has also come. On the other hand, the second one comes with a solution mindset. He also comes with difficulties but his way of expressing it reflects that he wants to solve the problems and is excited about it. He says ‘sir this is a challenge which has come on the way, there may be difficulties but we surely solve it, can we do it like this? We can handle it and just need your support in so and so”. After seeing his excitement I even get relief and fresh thinking. Now tell me who should I welcome?

This usually happens in the work life of people. So, be care carefully what are you reflecting – are you part of the solution or you are yourself a problem to the boss or organization? Be aware of the words you use as it reflects your own mindset.

I was 28 at that time and got an interview letter from Samtel for the HR Head position when I was working in Hindustan Zinc Ltd, a PSU at Udaipur. The letter printed on a Bhiwadi factory letterhead mentioned that I had to reach the ‘above-mentioned address’ at 2.30 PM and will be paid return Airfare for the interview. Bhiwadi those days was a small village and Samtel, the maker of TV Picture Tubes was a major group in Bhiwadi. I landed at Delhi Airport and managed to reach Dharuhera by a Rajasthan Roadways Bus and then reached Samtel by managing lifts from a cycle and a tractor. On reaching the Plant, I was delighted to see its layout, greenery and upcoming Samtel colony. However I was shocked to hear that interviews for my position were going on at Head Office in new Friends Colony Delhi. Later on I came to know that it was a mistake by a staff in using factory letterhead in my case as I was the last candidate while all others got call on HO letterhead. There was no official vehicle available that time and next public bus was after 2 hours. I was offered that a security person who was going to Dharuhera can drop me on highway which was 8 KM away and I accepted it happily. I paddled the cycle half way as I was in hurry. Managing a lift I came to Gurgaon, travelled by bus to Mehrauli and using a scooter lift I reached HO by 5 PM. I was the last candidate out of 9 persons called that day.

Mr. Kaura interviewed me for about an hour and was happy with my initiatives in management development and HR and knowing that HZL had rewarded me with a sponsorship to IIM Ahmadabad as well. After my interview he said ‘Dabas, I like you and we are keen. This position is for Bhiwadi which is our largest location and we are building own colony there. Do you know where Bhiwadi is as you have to stay there’? He was still unaware of my 6 hours travel adventure that day. I said ‘I have been to Bhiwadi and seen Samtel plant and what a wonderful layout and plant greenery it had’. He simply said ‘when you went to Bhiwadi’. I explained him the situation and smilingly said that because of it, I could luckily see the plant and Bhiwadi. Mr. Kaura stood up and took me to his office room and discussed for next 2 hours about my role and challenges of attracting, developing and retaining talent in Bhiwadi.  He shared his dream of starting a top class Public School in Bhiwadi as part its development and offered me that apart from being HR Head for the Group, I should work for this cause as well. Our meeting ended that day at 9 PM. I worked passionately to develop support from other industries for initiating Samtel School. Modern Public School which is also known as Samtel school is a major milestone now in Bhiwadi and I feel proud to see this school shaping the landscape and development of Bhiwadi.

I learnt many great lesions from Mr. Satish Kaura for being 1^st HR Head of the Group and under his visionary leadership; we started innovative practices in HR that became a benchmark those days. Mr Kaura who is recipient of Padamshree was Chairman of CII-North India when I met him after a long gap and he immediately recalled that first meeting. I sometimes reflect that, had I complained to him about the incident in the beginning of interview, I might have missed his faith in me that helped me greatly in my career. You should therefore not only be a ‘Part of Solution’ but reflect so by your gestures as every boss likes a person who provide solutions rather than keeps grudging or blaming.