It was a big day for me- I was in a hurry to catch the early morning train so I could make it to the office on time. For the first time I'd be presenting my performance report to our Managing Director, Mr.Sood. He was visiting our Mumbai branch for the first time.
I felt excited but also nervous. I'd heard a lot about Mr. Sood and how he could be short-tempered. He was known for not tolerating any mistakes in data and would double-check everything with his own one-page data sheet whenever he felt like it.
At station, I was surprised and shocked when I saw that there were more people on the platform than usual. Everyone seemed to be in a rush, trying to catch their trains to get to work. I thought, Maybe a lot of people had presentations with their bosses today and wanted to arrive early.
Despite the crowded train, I was determined to get to the office early, so I squeezed onto the packed train and managed to arrive at the office on time, just like I had planned.
Although catching the train to the office was part of my usual routine, today was different.
I was arriving at the office nearly two hours earlier than usual. I wanted to make sure everything was perfect for my presentation, so I could fix any mistakes right there. Plus, I hoped to show my presentation to my boss and get some valuable advice from him.
I felt really bad because it was my daughter's birthday two days ago. My wife and daughter had planned a fun day out on Sunday, but I said no. I didn't want anything to go wrong in my presentation. It wasn't just about me; it was also about my team and the department I've been leading for a year. I wanted to do my best and make the presentation really good. Even though they were upset with me, I couldn't change my mind at that moment. All these incidences were naaging in my mind while travelling towards my office.
As I stepped into the elevator of our office building, the elevator operator looked at me with a surprised expression and asked, "Sahab, aaj jaldi aa gaye?" Though my office was on the 15th floor, he kept asking me questions and sharing gathered information which he used to collect from others in the elevator. I felt a bit distracted and didn't respond to his questions properly because my mind was already preoccupied with thoughts about the questions my MD might ask me during my presentation.
I got to the office and sat down at my desk, which is a small, dedicated 4*4 cube space just for me. Before I started working on my presentation, I prayed god to ask for blessings. I keep a Ganpati idol at my desk for good luck. Then, I opened my laptop and carefully checked every point that I was going to talk about in my presentation. To make sure I did my best, I went to the restroom to practice the beginning of my presentation. This helped me feel less nervous.
As my nerves started to calm down, I walked confidently to my boss's cabin and greeted him with a cheerful "Good morning."
"Hi, GM Nilesh," He replied, but I noticed he seemed a bit nervous too. Usually, he's very confident guy, but today was different.
I said, "Today's a big day, Boss! I'm confident I'll do my best in the presentation. I've prepared it with all the necessary data and action plan."
"Very good," he replied, still focused on his work. With a little fear, I asked if he could check my presentation. "Yes, I will," he replied. "but Right now, I need to focus on my unfinished work, will do it later."
It was about 9:00 in the morning, and our MD's visit was scheduled for 10:00. I asked my boss if I could take a leave, then I got back to my desk. I felt a mix of excitement and nervousness. I was excited because I knew I could give my best. My performance had been good, and my department was doing really well. But I was also nervous because it was the first time I'd be presenting in front of our MD, Mr. Sood.
At exactly 10:00 AM, our MD's car pulled up to the office building. Suddenly, everyone sprang into action. They all wanted to welcome him with a bouquet of flowers in hand. As he entered the office, our seniors and my boss greeted him warmly. My boss had somehow managed to finish his work on time and was ready to welcome our MD alongside the others.
After a warm welcome, the MD entered the conference hall with other seniors. may be for initial discussions and itenary. My boss came out after about 30 minutes. I was excited to see him because it meant it was finally my turn, along with my peers, to enter the conference room.
He came straight to me and said, "You're a lucky charm, Nilesh Limaye. Mr. Sood is in a hurry, and he'll only go through one presentation from our branch. Bach gaye tum"
I felt completely numb, unable to react when my boss told me about Mr. Sood's hurry. I couldn't show how frustrated I was that I had sacrificed my personal life for this presentation. It was my daughter's birthday, and I hadn't been able to enjoy it. For the past four days, I hadn't slept well because I wanted to do my best for this presentation. I sat down in my chair, feeling upset and lost in my thoughts.
I started to wonder if we should accept this as part of our professional life, sacrificing personal priorities for work. Or should we find a balance and not compromise on personal matters for work? Wish, I could have missed the train! Nilesh Limaye
I'm sure many of us have experienced moments like this, feeling down and stressed despite giving our best efforts.
From that day, I learned the importance of balancing my personal and professional life and not compromising on either. Pls Share your take on it.
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by Nilesh Limaye
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