Rohan Kamath

That dreaded call came in the middle of the night. I didn’t know if my father would make it.

I packed my bags and left for India that morning. My manager and skip both called me at 4am to tell me to not worry about work, and, to take as long as I needed to make sure my family is okay. This is something most good leaders do, and it creates a very healthy team culture. It’s what came next that took things above and beyond, and forever raised the bar for me.

When I was in India, with my dad in the ICU for 3 weeks as he battled for his life, my wife was holding fort in the US helping coordinate a dozen different things in terms of logistics. My manager made it a point to call her every few days to check in on her and make sure she was doing okay. There was absolutely no need for him to do that, how many managers care at such a deep personal level? But he did, and it made an impact on our lives. 
Later that year, after dad made an astounding recovery, he and my mom visited us in the US after what had been the hardest ordeal of our lives. My skip invited them to the office, came and met with them and spent an hour talking to them in the cafe. After spending some time telling them what a pain in the rear I was, she went out of her way to make them feel welcome and comfortable, talked about life experiences and gave them memories that will bring a smile on their faces for the rest of their lives. Again, there was absolutely no need to do that, they had never even met before that. But it’s these little things that will be remembered, cherished and respected for the rest of our lives.

One thing I have often been told by friends and family, mentors and coaches is that I should draw a professional line when it comes to colleagues at work. One thing I’m often asked by friends and family, mentors and coaches is how my team and colleagues ended up developing such a deep bond, something which is so atypical of a corporate workplace.

The answer is quite simple; it’s just the little things.

My team at Microsoft had cultivated a culture where we always cared deeply about each other’s lives outside of work. We were happy for each other through weddings and babies, soccer games and ski trips; we always cared about each other’s hobbies and interests and little idiosyncrasies. Also, we had each other’s back through sickness and trauma, misfortunes and rocky relationships. We learned to be vulnerable with each other and not build a wall around ourselves. We gave each other a chance.

When a leader leads by example rather than lip service, when they care not only about my professional development but also my personal growth and well being, when a team decides to invest in each other’s joys and sorrows, currents and morrows, it breeds a culture of happiness, trust and loyalty.

When I was a teenager, my dad always told me how the hardest thing about growing up is letting go of friends and moving on. Over the last decade of my life, I thought I understood what he meant. But it’s only now that I’ve begun to realize that the hardest part isn’t letting go, it's coming to terms with the fact that your friends will let go of you too and move on, that you will no longer be the integral part of of their lives you once were, that your paths have, and will continue to diverge in accordance with your goals, your priorities, and your choices.

And that’s okay; maybe a part of growing up is accepting the fact that once friends are now simply strangers with memories; and that’s okay.

How to NFT

I’ve seen a lot of influencers on LinkedIn snub their noses at those who take up jobs for salary reasons. I’m honestly disappointed in these people. Some of us are in the privileged position to follow our dreams and passion while some others might not always have that luxury. There is nothing wrong with prioritizing the larger paycheck when you have life and circumstances that require it, or, simply choose to do so.
A job is merely us selling our time in exchange for a set of things, and we have the right to decide what things matter to us at a given stage in our life.
There is nothing romantic about poverty or hunger. When you have bills to pay and mouths to feed, prioritizing them makes for a sound night’s sleep. The only people who say money doesn’t matter are those privileged enough to never have experienced a dearth of it.

This is actually a black and white image. Someone drew a colored grid over it and your brain is filling in the colors.

This is the coolest thing I've seen in a long time.

I excelled at competitive exams all through school. Math, quant and problem solving came naturally to me. After every competition, my teachers congratulated me. However, one day, my favorite teacher did not. She actually looked disappointed. I asked her what the matter was and if I had done something wrong. She sat me down and gave me a little nugget that day that I’ve carried with me since.

She said, “Rohan, I’m very happy that you have accomplished so much. It gives me immense joy and pride to see you continue to excel year after year. But I’m a little disappointed in you. You have the potential to help so many of your classmates do better. I see you with your friends all the time doing all kinds of things; why not also spend a little time helping them academically. You know some of them are struggling; you also know that they listen to you. Help them study and do a little better.”

Her words left a very deep and profound impact on my life. I thought back to all those times I had bragged about winning some scholarship or competitive exam and how I might have made some of my friends feel. That day, I vowed to strive to make a small difference in someone’s life every day.

When you’re in a position of strength or influence, use it to better someone’s life.

This just made me happy :)