ME

 You can never own the larger outcome alone. 27 years of consulting taught me that.

You'll play a part, sometimes major, sometimes minor. Play it well. But define, upfront, what "well" looks like; for this project, this context, this moment.

Vague roles, with clients or with your own team, create false expectations.

While you keep the larger outcome in mind, the value lies in absolute clarity on what you're there to DO, and for what outcome.

The poster is a summary of what I come with, what I hold space for, my natural strengths, and whom I love to converse with.

Have a look, and hit me if you want to talk!

You don't find your purpose.Your purpose finds YOU.

 You don't find your purpose. Your purpose finds YOU.

"I started XLRI in 1992 chasing a paycheck

. I ended up finding my CALLING."

Back then, my "why" was straightforward: → Leverage my law degree → Land a well-paying job → PERIOD.
No grand dreams of changing the world—just a pragmatic decision.

But life had OTHER plans.

THE FIRST PIVOT: 2004
I quit my WELL PAYING CONSULTING JOB at E&Y to be with "the people who needed me most"—my family in Kochi.
If someone had told me at 35 how my life would look at 55, I would have embraced it WHOLEHEARTEDLY.

THE SECOND PIVOT:
"My consulting practice evolved from JUST serving large corporates to working with the UNDERSERVED—smaller organizations, development sector clients who truly needed professional and empathetic support."

The Pattern became clear:
I wasn't chasing MONEY.
I was being pulled toward SERVICE. Money too came along.

Today, I'm driven by ONE powerful purpose:
“To help people realise meaningful goals In Harmony."

It's a calling that continues to unfold, revealing deeper meaning with every passing day and experience.

Sometimes our biggest breakthroughs aren't about having all the answers— They're about TRUSTING THE JOURNEY itself.

📸 P.S. That's me in my XLRI yearbook photo—young, ambitious, and completely unaware of the incredible journey ahead!

Sriram V5.0

 Here’s a photo 📸 that says a lot about my journey—on the left, the classic consultant in a suit. On the right, SRIRAM VERSION 5.0—polo shirt, a more relaxed smile and a far greater openness and acceptance .

In a few weeks, I’ll be entering my 32nd year of work and 27th year in professional consulting. That’s a lot of time solving problems, and working with all kinds of organizations—from large corporates and tech startups to small traditional businesses.

But the real transformation? That’s been internal.
🧭 I’ve moved from just solving challenges to navigating conflict and complexity with calm and clarity.
💡 From cost-based consulting to exploring models rooted in impact and value.
🌐 From just delivering projects to engaging with the wider ecosystem and giving back.

And somewhere along the way, I realised—the suit/nehru jacket didn’t define my professionalism, and the polo didn’t make me less impactful. Both versions work. Because the shift was never about what I wore—it was about how I showed up.

This stage of my career feels lighter, more real, and deeply fulfilling. I’m embracing it—and excited for what comes next. 🚀

My First Day of Work as a 18 year old !! 1988

 🎯 31 years ago tomorrow, my 'official' corporate journey began. But that's NOT the story I want to tell...

📸 This picture? That's me, an 18-year-old, taken in my college hostel right before my "actual " first day of work. This wasn't for my role at Asian Paints in 1994, but for a job as a waiter in a bustling restaurant in Pune back in 1988-89. (A huge thank you to Dushyant Bala for capturing this moment! 📷)

The reality of that first role:
* 9-hour split shifts (12-3 PM & 6-12 PM) + daily walks to/from work
* ₹450/month + 2 free meals + tips
* 6 months that changed everything 🔄

What serving tables taught me that NO other "corporate " role ever could:
✨ HUMILITY: Discovering that true dignity exists in every single role.
✨ SERVICE MINDSET: Understanding that it's always about putting others first. ✨ GRACE UNDER PRESSURE: Learning to juggle countless priorities, often with a smile.
✨ EGO IN CHECK: Realizing your title doesn't define your inherent worth.

As I step into my 32nd year in the professional world tomorrow (June 4th), I find myself recommitting to these foundational values. It's about stripping away the degrees, designations, and accolades – because at our core, we're all here to serve and add genuine value. 💪

That young boy in the photo had absolutely no idea what the future held. Yet, those six months as a waiter? They remain my most PROFOUND and VALUABLE professional education.

What's YOUR foundational experience that still guides you today? Drop your story below - I read every comment! 👇
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🚪 P.S. - My door remains wide open for meaningful conversations. If your organization is navigating ambitious dreams, exciting opportunities, or tough challenges, happy to connect and explore how I can help. 💼✨

B105 The virtuous spiral!

 

The performance of the Indian cricket team today at the gabba, and over the past 3 test matches post the Adelaide fiasco of being shot out for 36 is a a great example of self belief breeding success and success fuelling self-belief and the upward spiral!

More power to the fearless, gritty, talented ones!

B104 Seeing reality as it is

 If there is one book i would strongly recommend everyone read it has to be " Mindfulness in plain english " written by Bhante gunaratana a buddhist monk 26 years back .

As the title suggests it is written in a manner that helps us comprehend and start experiencing reality as it is.

Each page removes our illusions . A snippet from page 68

As you observe the inflow and outflow of your breath, " eventually the breathing process will move along its own stream and you will feel no impluse to manipulate it. At this point you will learn a major lesson about your own compulsive need to control the universe "

Truly a masterpiece !

B103 The illusion of our beliefs and reality

 Some lines completely change your perspective. "Early Indians " by Tony Joseph a deeply insightful book i am currently reading starts with the following quote from Prof Andrew Franknoi.

"As you read this sentence perhaps sitting in your chair you would consider yourself at rest. But you are really not , because the milkyway galaxy of which you are a part is moving through the space at one million kms per hr.This is without taking into account the effect of earths rotation on its axis(1600 kms/hr), orbiting around the sun(107,000 kms/hr) and suns journey around the milky way (792,000 kms/hr). "

So in the roughly 20 seconds it would have taken you to read the para above you have already moved thousands of kms , while you believe you were at rest.

How illusory our beliefs are ,and how wonderful the world is ...

This certainly changed mine !

B102 Mistakes we can avoid while self publishing

 Mistakes we can avoid while self publishing

I recently had a friend Hariharan V.R. review and copy edit all the case studies, articles and presentations that were uploaded on our newly created website.

A few learnings
1) Avoid usage of capital letters in between a sentence except for names, places, titles and the word "I". If you wish to highlight use alternate methods.
2) Use words to write the numbers one to nine rather than numerals(1, 2 etc ).
3) Provide the full form of a word along with the acronymn you intend to use at the first instance in a document. Do not assume that the reader will know the acronym . E.g. Chief people officer (CPO).
4) While using bullet points, use full stops at the end of each point.
5) Importantly be consistent in the way you spell your words ( British vs American) . Ensure the auto correct in your machine is set to your natural preference (e.g. behaviour vs behavior).

This by no means is an exhaustive list. Am sure the professional writers ,editors and language experts would have a lot more to add .

My biggest learning from this exercise, never assume the obvious!

B101 Perseverance

 Perseverance- "Our ability to give our best every moment despite knowing there would be difficulties and delay in achieving our goals.

In president Barack Obama's words from his latest book " A Promised land"
I realized that for all the power inherent in the seat I now occupied, there would always be a chasm between what I knew should be done to achieve a better world and what in a day, week, or year I found myself actually able to accomplish "

Clearly an epitome of perseverence , the book stands out in the presidents openness to lay bare his thoughts , his self doubts. Inspiring read on many counts

!

B100 The excitement of overcoming limitations can be addictive !

 It was sometime in 2014 when i first felt constrained while working with clients in kerala. My inability to articulate concepts in malayalam while having professional discussions in malayalam left me disappointed. Add to that my area of work being HR and people ,which many consider as esoteric and with unproven concepts, didnt help !

I would feel ashamed at times .Dont get me wrong here .I was always fluent in malayalam in casual conversations having grown up in kerala and learnt the language till class 1V.

I decided to remedy the situation by taking baby steps while working diligently on developing my vocabulary and language skills to communicate professionally in malayalam.

Yesterday I was elated. I spoke effortlessly and fluently in malayalam in a forum of MSME business owners on the topic of " Employee Engagament". I could see how the systematic efforts of the last 6 years has started to pay off !

Time to start imbibing the riches malayalam literature has to offer . No more lost in translation !

B99 But persist we must ..

 To truly create inclusive and diverse societies and organisations we need to consciously work on our ability as individuals and groups, to listen , appreciate and integrate diverse perspectives as well as worldviews. Including the ones divergent from ours .

In this process of creating and learning we are bound to experience an enviornment of conflict at multiple levels which can lead to ourselves sometimes questioning the wisdom and the price that we are paying for inclusion and diversity.

But persist we must....because that's that only way forward to overcome barriers that are both internal and external to us.