Have you hatched a Plan-'B' as yet

Captain (retired) Sachin Bali shares his corporate vision and success mantra

By Jyoti K. Singh
Having just celebrated his 32nd birthday, Capt (retired) Sachin Bali, who is a part of the Marketing and Communications department at RBS India, is quite an optimist. Distinguished clearly by a survival instinct, Bali seems to have outshined nature’s most crucial challenges even. During his posting at the Siachen glacier, Bali suffered from cold injuries while undertaking a rescue mission to evacuate own soldiers trapped in an avalanche, yet his spirit was quite undying.

Receiving a gallantry award and a commendation medal both mark his short stay of 50 months in the Indian Army. Post his army tenure, Capt Bali joined IIM Bangalore. Here are some excerpts of an exclusive interview with him –

How was your transition from the Indian Army to the corporate world; did it come as a blow?
Shifting career from the Army to the corporate world was a conscious decision for me. I had planned the shift in a manner, which gave me enough time to learn, relax and gear up for the new experience ahead. I found that planning for it; mentally preparing for a rather big change ensured a rather smooth transition.

What was the first thing that came to your mind when the so called ‘disaster' actually happened?
''Development' is the 'D' word I would more relate to for that stage in my life. The first thing that came to my mind was 'Ok, what next?' I weighed my options in the Army, which were quite comfortable and attractive and also considered what more I could do in life that would drive me. I decided to hang up my uniform and venture into the corporate world.

I somewhere read – ‘At 25, Captain Bali's proud career as a soldier in the Indian Army was over.’ Did you really feel that way?
As I decided to leave the Army, I still had an option of continuing with the forces and making a career for myself. The Army, as an organisation, was quite supportive to me. However, I realised that with the new 'Development' I would not be able to pursue my career in the Army with the passion with which I had joined it. I therefore decided to move on and go back to a B-school before starting a new career.

Share the experience of receiving the gallantry award.
As a young officer, accolades are not something that drives you. The attention is more on the job at hand and making sure that it is done well. Gallantry award and other recognitions, when they came my way, did not translate exactly into an 'Aha' moment. The 'Aha' moment was more about completing the job at hand and realising that it was done up to the level of expectations that I had from myself. Though in hindsight receiving those awards sure is an honor and it gives a feeling of being recognised and appreciated by the organisation and the people I had worked with.

Retired army people generally tend to develop a dislike for civilians. Comment.
Well was I too not a civilian before joining the Army? It is a stereotype that I do not subscribe to. Perhaps the reaction that is implied in this question is the difference in the way of life as in a disciplined and a regulated environment and that of a less regulated one. While serving the defense forces, one is used to a life where everyone is following a routine and complies with a common code - there exists a sense of respect for one’s own as well as others’ rights and duties. Inculcating or implementing the same in a wider environment like a civil society may not be possible in totality and is bound to leave some areas which will be in conflict with the regulated and disciplined life. That is the difference between the two worlds, and they are not incompatible. I have wonderful friends both within as well as outside the defense forces.

What happened to your Plan – A – the UN job/ any reverts?
That was the plan I had when I left the Army and also while I was pursuing MBA from IIM Bangalore. Desire to work with the UN stems from my hands on experience while serving with the UN Peace Keeping Forces in Ethiopia/Eritrea for over a year, combined with my passion of traveling. Towards the end of my MBA, my brother, who is a journalist, joined the UN. He has been living abroad for a while. Ours being a small and close-knit family, I decided to pursue options closer to home and still do justice to my passion for traveling.

What describes your role at RBS?
I am a part of the Marketing & Communications team for Retail & Commercial business (India).

Sachin as a leader or Sachin as an entrepreneur, support with examples.
I usually internalise such definitions for myself. Leadership to me is being able to take my own decisions at various stages of life, and follow through. Entrepreneurship is nurturing some dreams of creating value at the due time.

Why did you choose an IIM after army?
There could have been many options of being a part of the corporate life immediately after I left the Army but I decided to give myself two years to pursue an MBA. I knew an MBA would give me the required break of two years to reconnect and unwind. There is also the matter of being prepared as best as possible. I wanted the best possible tools and training for the job ahead, and IIM provides just that.

Narrating an experience, while preparing for CAT, I joined the regular classes that Career Launcher offers. On my first day at South Delhi center, I entered a class full of very young and smart people. I walked to the back of the class and sat down. Half way through the class I felt out of place sitting there and walked out. I came the next day and felt the same and walked out.

That is when I realised that the change of course would not be an easy ride, as I felt so different. Then I decided to shift to a smaller group and continued. This helped me to settle down and connect with my classmates. This was the change, which I had expected and wanted to gear myself to. I knew I had to be a part of such groups not as an outsider but as someone who belongs. Two years at IIM Bangalore helped me to use my past experience, learn while studying in the company of very bright people and eventually prepare me to be a part of any group I get to work with in my corporate career.

IIM also has an image of being a challenge and an institute, which equips a student with the requisite skills and frame of mind to do well in his/her chosen career. I was expecting the same and got much more. It was a natural move from one of the best professions to an institute that is arguably the best in its league.

To you, what does leadership stand for?
For me leadership is getting through a day with your team and ending it with a smile on everyone’s face knowing that we have done a good job. It’s felt as well as earned.

What is your mantra for success in life?
Follow your instincts, take your chances and be humble.

IIMs transform a person. Do you agree?
IIM does give an excellent platform to a student to work towards whatever he/she intends to be. It gives you every opportunity to undertake and excel in whatever you believe in. It’s up to you to take it forward.

What was the best advice that was ever given to you?
Best advices are the one I have received from my instincts and my family and circle of friends have duly supported the subsequent decisions.

What are the three things you cannot work without?
A sense of belonging, an overriding direction and a destination to travel next.

You once said, “I predict travel will be one of my biggest expenses in the future,” has it been so?
It indeed has been ever since. I have traveled at every opportunity and intend to continue doing so.

How many dreams have come true post IIM, for I have read at several places that owning a home abroad and buying a bigger car were the top priorities during your tenure at the B-school.
All that I’d expected would come true has indeed come true so far with the good wishes of friends and family of course. Answering the specifics, I have upgraded to a new car, am at a place of choice doing a job I enjoy with a great team. Have done recce of some countries where I may like to own a place some time in future.

You were also recently listed as one of India's most eligible bachelors by a leading women's magazine. Is marriage on the cards yet?
With regards to ending my single status, que sera sera!

In the corporate culture, we have something called INDUCTION which is more or less a relaxed period – but at Army, your first posting was at the hottest of deserts Eritrea then to Siachen Glacier – Do you feel such extremities may mar the vigor of a young soldier?
Well, experience only teaches and helps one grow than being a hindrance. I have been fortunate to experience such extreme situations early in my career, from the hottest battlefield on the earth to the coldest. I believe such experiences make a person believe that one can achieve anything if one sets one’s mind to.

You always seem to have a Plan B. What inspired the hatching of this plan – some event in childhood or at the ARMY? Can everyone have a plan B?
Having a Plan B for me is never planned. It is something that comes naturally. It is only natural to face situations, which seem like a dead end. It is up to the person to perceive it in any manner, either think of a way around or accept it as his/her fate. I believe in the phenomenon of unpredictability hence the need for a plan B, always!

What message would you like to leave for the students?
Everyone has dreams to fulfill and aspirations to live up to. Learn from your own past experiences, follow your instincts and give your best shot to whatever you aim at. Listen to others’ experiences, and imbibe what you can connect to. There always are a lot of things one can do which one tends to overlook by having one overriding ambition. Nurture your Plan B also; this may be your Plan A tomorrow.