At BrilliantRead Media, our aim is to bring to our community some of the finest stories from the startup ecosystem. As part of this endeavour, we invited a passionate entrepreneur – Dr. Radhika Madan for an exclusive interview with us. She is an Entrepreneur, Leader, Career Coach, Trainer, Speaker, Influencer, Change Enabler, and Mentor. Let’s learn more about her exciting journey, her background and her advice for our growing community.
Excerpts from our exclusive interview with Dr. Radhika:
We are aware of your contributions to the ecosystem; talk us through your background and your journey, please;
My professional journey has been an exciting journey full of learning and growth. As an academician for over 16 years in Marketing and Business Communication, I have developed engaging content and curriculum for courses such as Critical Thinking, Business Communication, Soft Skills, Academic Writing and Marketing.
I excel in mentoring and guiding individuals in communication and critical thinking. I am a guidance counsellor for students to assess their ability and potential towards academic and personal decision-making.
I have worn many hats in my career. An academician, associate dean, mentor, trainer, researcher, administrator, editorial associate, program head. As a result, I have a unique ability to manage multi-disciplinary projects and navigate through complexity.”
After completing my Masters’s in Marketing and Management from the University of Bradford, UK, and being awarded a silver medal, I was immediately offered a job at IILM Gurgaon as a Lecturer. I distinctly remember, that my first session was with the Master’s students who at that time were older than me and were coming with years of industry experience and I had just completed my studies. Since then, there has been no looking back.
I have taught students across age groups in undergraduate and postgraduate programs. At the Undergraduate level, I have taught students enrolled for the degree of Dublin Institute of Technology, Ireland, University of Bradford, UK and SBS Swiss Business School, Zurich.
I have taught subjects like –International Marketing, Integrated Marketing Communication, Marketing Management and Strategy, Foundations of Marketing, Marketing and Entrepreneurship, Service Marketing, Strategic Marketing, Spoken Business Communication, English, Written Analysis and Communication, Communication Skills, Critical Thinking, Academic Writing, Business Communication, Communication and Social Skills, Purposeful Work and Life Choices.
My passion towards teaching and my dedication towards my work made me achieve so much in my professional career.”
I have collaborated with the British Council to contribute towards the UKIERI Mobility program: Study in India in selecting proposals along with UK panel members. During my teaching career, I enrolled myself for a PhD in Marketing and successfully completed it in 2018. I have published many research papers and case studies in national and international journals.
I also successfully completed the British Council’s BEC (British English Communication) Teacher Support Program in 2006. My current avatar of a Career Coach/Corporate & Soft Skills trainer builds on my experience and expertise as an academician.
How did you discover your passion in ‘Coaching’?
In the last, so many years, I have trained over 1000 students on soft skills and communication skills in order to make them job-ready both online and in – person. Along with that, I have mentored over 500 students and encouraged self-discipline and self-awareness in them.
My current role is no different from what I have been doing all throughout. It has been built on my experience and expertise. I always felt very satisfied after my training sessions.”
I think it has been one of the most satisfying and rewarding feeling when I would see my students evolve and get placed in good companies. Coaching them on aspects related to life, struggles, challenges, goals, aspirations, career counselling, preparing them for interviews, discussions, presentations has made them reach greater heights and these students often come back to me and remind me of the days when I would sit with them and share my gyaan with them!
Coaching/Training/Mentoring comes very naturally to me.
I do not have to make any extra efforts for it. During my teaching career, I realized my love for soft skills training because it showed me results or outcomes in my students. Every day I would see some change in the basis of the training sessions that I conduct.
How do you manage to keep going despite the challenges? What drives you?
I have always been a person with zeal and enthusiasm.
We are living in a world which is full of competition at every step, every level. In such a situation one needs to be self-motivated and find that motivation within ourselves rather than trying to find it somewhere outside. We should look within for all the answers and not outside.
It’s not easy to always stay motivated, therefore what I do is, I plan my day and make my to-do list every day in the morning which makes me focus well. It gives me a clear picture of how my day is planned. I keep my workstation clean so that I attract positive energy and positive thoughts. I like to declutter my desk every evening so that the new day begins with new thoughts. It’s important to prioritize your tasks in order to reduce stress and pressure.”
Anytime I have been faced with a challenge or obstacle or provable, I tell myself “This too shall pass”. Good times are ahead and we need to focus on the light and not the darkness of the tunnel. Every cloud has a silver lining. This keeps me going. So I smile and start again!!
I believe in the circle of influence, which means you should always keep people in your close circle who motivate you, inspire you, and push you beyond your limits. These could be family, friends, mentors, colleagues. In life, we are bound to face challenges. It’s completely up to us whether we face them with resilience or hide from them. The choice is ours!!
Who do you believe has been the biggest source of motivation in your daily life?
My faith in God has been my biggest source of motivation in life. This faith keeps me going day in and day out. Also, I am blessed to have supportive parents, sister and some very dear people in my life.
They are all my pillars of strength. My parents have given me such strong values and my close ones have been my biggest motivators and my critics which always help me improve on a daily basis.
What are some of the strategies that you believe have helped you grow as a person?
The strategies which have helped me grow and evolve as a person are as follows –
> I’m a disciplined person who values and respects time. Therefore I don’t miss any deadline
> I am very professional and have strong work ethics
> Respect for others, irrespective of their position, age or experience
> Very focused and goal-oriented. Break down tasks and accomplish them rather than stressing over big things.
> Being mindful
> Being a constant learner
> Follow a growth mindset
> Learning new skills and open to change
> Time management
> Faith in God and myself. I can do it
You are always positive and motivated, what keeps you going?
It is not easy to keep yourself happy, positive and motivated when there are so many twists and turns in life. It requires a lot of effort and a positive mindset to feel that way.
I start my day with positive energy and positive thoughts and with a heart full of gratitude. It’s important that we count our blessings first thing in the morning and last thing before going to bed. This will always keep us positive and grateful. I ensure that I get my 8 hours of sleep so that my day is productive. I would not want to have a day where I feel lazy or cranky because of a lack of sleep.”
Also, I ensure that I take out some time for myself, which is my “me time”. During this time, I read books, write, post my thoughts on LinkedIn, go for a walk, recollect my thoughts, and sit in silence. Self-love is very important. If we cannot love ourselves and value ourselves, no one will.
We all have problems in life; it’s up to us how we deal with these problems. If we constantly talk about them, they become big. But if we stop complaining, cribbing and criticizing, life will become better and healthier.
Spending time with my family, friends, going out for meals, going shopping, watching TV are other things which keep me distracted and away from all the negativity we are often surrounded with.
Last but not the least, interacting with students, doing training sessions gives me a lot of peace and happiness and charges me up.”
In your opinion, what are the keys to success?
– Combination of smart work and hard work
– Visibility. Silently working in a corner never helps, till the time we are not visible. Therefore creating your personal brand is very important
– Positive attitude
– Critical thinking
– Hunger to learn
– Consistency in work and efforts
– Perseverance. Never quit
– Passion towards your work. It should not be a burden but you should be passionate towards what you do. You should love what you are doing
– Self-discipline
– Upskilling yourself always
– Physical, mental and emotional well being
– Work-life balance
What advice would you give students and young professionals who want to have a successful career?
College gives a lot of opportunities to students to explore, experiment and engage. My advice for students and young professionals –
~ Take as many internship opportunities as you can during your college days. It will give you get hands-on experience in your respective domain and give you a lot of exposure.
~ It is important to grow your skills. Employers are always looking at hiring candidates who are skilled. Keep yourself up to date with technology and the latest trends.
~ Maintain work-life balance. Take breaks from your work or studies. This will help you keep your focus.
~ Love what you do. Pursue your passion. It’s important that you feel happy in what you do.
~ It’s important to network. Engage in online networking and participate in networking events.
~ Make informed choices and be ready to take risks and challenges in life
~ Create your personal brand and have some uniqueness in you which differentiate you from the crowd.
~ Be active on social media platforms like LinkedIn and Twitter
~ Keep your resume updated. Ensure it is not too long and lengthy
~ Don’t keep switching jobs early in your career. Stay in a job for a year before you decide to change.
~ Learn as much as you can on the job. Theoretical knowledge is good, but practical knowledge teaches you the realities
~ Have self-discipline. Make sure you look and behave professionally at the workplace.
~ Define your goals clearly
~ Learn to handle stress and pressure. You should have a good emotional quotient. Don’t be over-sensitive and over-emotional
BrilliantRead is committed to bringing stories from the startup ecosystem, stories that reshape our perspective, add value to our community and be a constant source of motivation not just for our community but also for the whole ecosystem of entrepreneurs and aspiring individuals.
Note: If you have a similar story to share with our audience and would like to be featured on our online magazine, then please write to us at [email protected], we will review your story and extend an invitation to feature if it is worth publishing.
