How I became a Career Coach
My Story
While at school I was an average student with inclination for outdoor sports, music (being a Rhythm Guitarist) and being the most talkative student. Some lessons in life are learnt the hard way and I seemed to invite some of these hardships by getting into the zone of over confidence at times.
I have had many failures in life and one of them was when I missed out on getting admission into my favorite college at Delhi University after class 12th. Does my story sound similar – If yes we are already virtual friends by now. If not then read on!
Whenever I thought I had my life in control, it threw several challenges at me. Decision making was always seemed difficult, guidance from seniors was far & few and failures decorated most aspects of my professional and personal life. Guess what Me and Mr. F (Failure) became best friends and I had a feeling of being lost in a Maze.
After I started my career my best friends were – Right Attitude & Intent, Perseverance and Vulnerability and there was no looking back.
During my entire corporate life (except for my mentors), I hardly found colleagues / seniors who were willing to share their experience or offer guidance. While I learnt through infinite hit and trials in my life, I made it my goal to help as many professionals to build great careers.
I am a now a full time Career, Self – confidence and empowerment coach.
If somewhere some / most aspect of my story resonates with yours’s then I welcome to we are already friends and I am happy to meet you virtually for now 😊
17+
No of Years of Experience
12K
Linkedin Followers
125+
Short Stories
25+
Webinars
My Corporate Experience
My biggest Eureka moment was when I became a Chartered Accountant at the age of 22.5 years with an AIR 34. Fondness for numbers for a CA is a no brainer and I was no exception to this. On the one hand number 7 proved to be highly unlucky for me when I failed 7 back to back job interviews. It felt like my career ended without evening starting. On the other hand, number 7 proved lucky for me as I had the privilege of working with 7 organizations over a span of 17+ years. My corporate journey has been a perfect roller coaster ride and when I look back at it now, every day was a learning experience. Every job was and will always be special but the Big Boys League of Google, AMEX, HSBC and EY (as I call it) shaped me as a professional.
Professionals often ask me how do I find the career and / or profile best suited for me and my simple and honest answer is through “Active Experimentation”. Once I found my area of interest, I held on to it. I had my own set of failures in the corporate world and every time I came out stronger. I am a strong believer in my own quote – Failure is the best teacher and not giving up is the best Attitude.
I The Traveller
Since I was a child, I nurtured the dream of joining the Indian Army and one of the reasons was that my job would take me to places across India. While I could not fulfill my dream of being an Army officer, I nurtured my dream of travelling the world. My 1st international travel happened in 2004, when I travelled to the State of New York in USA. OMG, I still get goosebumps thinking about it. Over a career spanning more than a decade, I have travelled to more than 50+ cities across 20 countries covering 3 continents – North America, Europe and Asia.
What Oxygen is to our lungs, travelling is to my thoughts. Travelling gives me an opportunity to unwind, meet new people, experience new cultures and practice my love for photography. My plan of visiting my favorite countries has currently been paused. However, as soon I start travelling again, you will be the first one to know about it!
The song “All My Bags are packed; I am ready to go” summarizes my traveling Euphoria!.
I the Speaker
“Conversation is Food for the Soul” is a very famous proverb. Talking was a therapy for my mother and I inherited it from her. Since my childhood, I actively participated in recitation competitions at an Inter and Intra school level. My all-time favorite poem was “Mr. Nobody:” The best part of my career was the opportunity to engage in conversations with new people from different countries, background, age group etc. every day. In my 2nd career innings, I have expanded my role from talking to speaking and addressing students and professionals on technical and abstract topics across multiple forums. Some of the key topics that I generally speak on include Celebrating Failure, Building a Great Career, Connecting the Dots, Decoding Case Studies and Mastering the Art of Cracking Interviews.
Abraham Lincoln said in his famous quote – The best way to predict future is to create it. With every effort to inspire professionals to build their career through my experiences and learnings, I also get to build my legacy.
Conducted sessions at
I The Philanthropist
About 8+ years back, when I and a friend started a group called “Entelligencia” on Facebook. We noticed that majority of the members in the group started talking about the numerous problems that we had in our society. The biggest of them being lack of educational facilities to the under-privileged children.
I co-founded Hridaya Foundation in June 2012 with a Mission statement of “Spreading Smile, Every Mile”. While we undertook 6 different initiatives, our flagship program was “Each One, Teach One” with an aim of bringing education closer to the under privileged children. We started our journey by teaching children of migrant workers. While the model was a success, most of the children left as their parents moved to a different city in their quest for work.
We then partnered with “Meera Ji” and Hridaya Foundation School was born. From about 75-80 children, the school now has 150+ kids studying from Nursery to class VIth. The school is funded by the dreams of students, empathy & support of like-minded people and blessings from the almighty. 150 bright and ambitious children now study with us.
Our team is a proud recipient of the REX Karamveer award from iCONGO and CSR award (in partnership with BCMS) from World CSR congress for the work in this field.
Testimonials
I have known him for the last 15 years as a colleague, a leader, a trainer, a coach and a mentor. He is someone who brings on-board the Humane aspect to any process / project that he handles. One of those leaders who lives by the fundamental of being Adaptive and Flexible at all the times. A multi tasker to the core, Akhil has always put in his heart and soul to all the roles that he has handled till date, be it an Operations Leader or donning the hat of a Coach or a Mentor. He is someone who is easy to approach, a good listener and always looks at ways and means of giving back to the society
– Kapil Wahal Head Training
Even before I had met Akhil in HSBC, I had heard good things about Akhil from fellow colleagues. I have seen Akhil as a self-motivated person who takes ownership and accountability on his own. Even when managing big teams, it is easy for him get down and dirty his hands when required. Akhil was one of the managers who got recognition very quickly with senior management due to his hard work
– Shraddhesh Doshi Delivery Lead
I met Akhil in his school which was really mind blowing for me as I didn’t believe that a person at his age could make a significant difference to many lives. While his efforts were significant but more than that his acts were truly inspiration for a person like me. You are a good person at heart and whoever is associated with you would be truly blessed as you would truly inspire people with your actions. Stay blessed and remain inspirational as always
– Binu Chacko Financial Accountant Hobart Food Equipment
Akhil was mentor, buddy and a true friend for last 4 years. Great guy with an honest opinion always. He has been a true teacher to me, be it management concepts or practical solution to problems. Storytelling and corporate communications is one of his key strengths and something which I have learnt from him most. Thanks for inspiring me always
– Deepak Khemka Assistant Director EY GDS TAS
