At BrilliantRead Media, it is our constant endeavour to bring meaningful and powerful stories from India and around the world to empower and motivate our growing community. As part of this, we invited Hardy Alexander for an exclusive interview with us. He is an Entrepreneur, Leader, Coach, Mentor, NLP Master Practitioner, and Influencer. Let’s learn more about his incredible journey, background and advice for our growing community!
Excerpts from our exclusive interview with Hardy:
Could you please talk us through your background and your journey?
I grew up in a small township, Rourkela in Odisha where my parents worked for the Steel Authority of India (SAIL). Growing up in the early 70s and 80s, I simply followed the crowd with no specific personal goal or ambition. Growing up in a closed community, there were only 3 categories of aspirants – those pursuing Medicine, the next one pursuing Engineering and the third called ‘good for nothing’ category comprising of those who didn’t make it to medicine or engineering. I must say I was fortunate to qualify for the engineering category.
The Regional Engineering College (now renamed as National Institute of Technology) in Rourkela was a good institution however, there were also scary stories of ragging, particularly those staying in hostels. My mother didn’t want me to stay in any hostel hence I opted for Metallurgical Engineering in Rourkela and studied as a Day Scholar. So my opting for this branch of study was not because I wanted it, but because my mother didn’t want me to go to another city as a hosteler.
By the time I finished my engineering, I was fascinated with the field of Metallurgy and wanted to pursue R&D however, campus recruitment put me in Sales & Marketing. My saying yes to this option was more from the compulsion to say yes to one of the finest companies to come for campus recruitment – INDAL (Indian Aluminium Company). With this shift ended my engineering study and I forayed into an unknown field of sales. I went on to do my Masters in Marketing Management from NMIMS Mumbai and during this time, I got a break with FedEx Express which launched its services in India in 1997. Working with FedEx gave me clarity on what I wanted to pursue as a career.
I was fortunate to join the Sales L&D team as a Sales Facilitator and later as Sales L&D Manager for the MEIA region. In hindsight, my being in sales gave me the much-needed experience of dealing with difficult situations and the confidence to break my introverted personality. My experience in sales and a brief stint in a start-up gave me the much needed confidence to set up TRIUNE GLOBAL in 2011, a company focused into providing sales training, leadership development and executive coaching to global MNCs both pan-India and in global markets. That’s how my journey started. It has been incredibly exciting so far.
How did you discover your passion?
I must say, going through a career crisis in 2010, I forced myself to rethink what I really wanted to pursue in life. I had experience in Sales, Sales L&D, Digital Marketing and General Management. I had to choose which one would excite me in the long term.
It may sound funny however, what pushed me over the edge to decide was the thought, “on my death-bed, what will I regret not having done”. This thought forced me to think of all the roles I had played thus far and what put a spring under my feet every time I was associated with it. That was being in the learning space!”
I had received great feedback while I was a Sales Facilitator with FedEx, I was fortunate to join the Sales and as a Sales L&D Manager for the MEIA region. I reached out to a lot of L&D-focused organizations for a job, however, no one even acknowledged my resume. This encouraged me to go the entrepreneurial route and I was well supported by a dear friend Ms. Shobha who was an entrepreneur herself and was trained by me at FedEx and my family who stood by my decision knowing very well that there would be financial stress till my entrepreneurial venture took off.
There was no turning back after that!
Who do you believe has been the biggest source of motivation in your daily life?
There are 2 aspects to this.
First, I personally believe that when intention is backed with hard work, miracles happen. My entire life has been miraculous and more so during my entrepreneurial journey. I experience magic every single day with the kind of programs I get to deliver and the kind of people whom I get associated with. I have always felt guided by the Divine and I continue to feel so, both during my highs and lows.
Second, my wife who always stood by me, never checking on how much money my venture was earning. This attitude of hers took the pressure off me and I could simply focus on doing what I love to do. During the initial years, when revenues were just picking up, my family also had less expectations and adjusted their lifestyle to suit the situation at home.
What are some of the strategies that you believe have helped you grow as a person?
I must say I am a moderate risk taker, particularly with my career choices. When I chose to take up the sales role in Mumbai, it was a big decision to move away from my family and fend for myself in a dream-city like Mumbai. I opted to let go of my job as a Junior Engineer at SAIL, Rourkela. I could have continued staying with my parents and play it safe in a semi-government undertaking. However, I chose to risk it and grow as an individual in the process.
Likewise, taking my plunge as an entrepreneur and letting go of a safety net was a significant decision that I hadn’t planned for.”
One thing that has helped me over the last 14 years in the L&D space is my decision to invest in my learning. Almost every year, I have invested heavily in upgrading my skills and knowledge in the area of my profession.
Articulating a personal vision and mission also made a huge difference in how I choose my priorities in life. My personal vision is to be one of the finest facilitators in the world. This has encouraged me to associate with people and organisations in the area of facilitation.
My personal mission is to inspire more people to their success and growth. As an Executive Coach and Leadership Facilitator, I touch lives of people across the globe through my learning programs.”
What are the keys to success according to you?
a) A sense of humility and openness to learn has helped me on my path.
b) Looking at challenges as opportunities is the key.
c) You can either let the challenges shape you to be your better self or pull you down the rabbit hole to be a failure.
d) Developing a personal vision and mission gives you a sense of direction when you feel at sea.
What advice would you give to our readers?
My only advice will be, don’t wait for a career crisis to shape your future. Spend some time to think what you really want to accomplish in life. What will be worth your time on this planet earth and then work towards it.
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.
