“At TCS, we believe setbacks have the potential to lead to stronger comebacks. During the pandemic, with our people and customers at the heart of the equation, we re-found our purpose, cemented our beliefs, communicated like never before, and took collaboration to new heights.”- Sowmya Rajagopalan, VP and Head, Travel, Transportation and Hospitality Americas, Tata Consultancy Services.2020 tested our resilience. Four months into the year, we experienced a total free fall before hitting rock bottom. Granted, we were not the only ones grasping for a lifeline, but when those graphs took a nose-dive across each of the industries we served, it was hard to look beyond our own devastation. Travel and hospitality were some of the hardest hit sectors. In the middle of disrupted lives and threatened health, we had to adapt to a new way of working and engaging with our customers. To me, personally, it felt as if life had come a full circle. I was back to feeling like a novice—with no precedents to fall back on. Only this time I had greater responsibility, with thousands of pairs of eyes looking to me for ‘what next?’To the willing, adversity makes us plumb the depths of our psyche, and what we discover hidden within is oftentimes more surprising to ourselves than to others. In 2014, after a successful stint in Retail, I was entrusted with managing Travel, Transportation and Hospitality (TTH) Americas—then a budding business unit. With a completely new team, unfamiliar domain, and a scant roster of customers—it was a start from scratch on all accounts. However, what should have been an anxiety ridden experience turned out to be an adrenaline-infused ride that culminated in strategic partnerships that involved large growth and transformation engagements with several leading airline, hospitality, global distribution systems (GDS), car rental, railroad, and logistics giants. The experience brought me face to face with my biggest strength—the propensity to thrive on challenges and to hit back harder when cornered. When I started my career over three decades back, women in IT were a rarity. For a woman from a non-IT background to assume a leadership role was rarer still. While the ability to bounce back has been a lifesaver, one well intentioned advice that I often received in the face of setback was ‘just be yourself’. I have come to realize that it is an advice best not given. Being ‘yourself’ does not simply mean unfettered self-expression. Real authenticity comes from our creative core—our aspirational self. Where even if our current ‘self’ is riddled with fears, we do not succumb to them. My true journey as a leader began only when I learned to consistently connect to that core and override the fear of failure with action. It is a trait I encourage in my teams. As I reflect on my journey, some of my most productive years were those where creativity had free rein.
All data is taken from the source: [ Ссылка ]
Article Link: [ Ссылка ]
#back #newsroom #newstodaydonaldtrump #cnnnewstoday #bbcnewsworld #newstodayheadlines #
