Don’t get deterred by rejections, they are part of the journey to success, says the Honourable Minister Smriti Irani at 4th Annual SpeakIn Leadership Conclave
At The 4th Annual SpeakIn Leadership Conclave, organized by the leading B2B Learning platform SpeakIn, policymakers, experts, and thought leaders highlighted India’s challenges, opportunities and growth stories
New Delhi, October 24, 2023: Citing examples of failures and successes in her professional career, Smt. Smriti Irani, Union Minister for Women and Child Development Minister said that young professionals and leaders need not get deterred by rejections. That is part of the journey top success. She was Speaking at the 4th Annual SpeakIn Leadership Conclave, organized by the leading B2B Learning platform SpeakIn here on Monday. SpeakIn celebrated business and bureaucracy and organized brainstorming panel discussions on ‘The Shades of Leadership.”
The 4th Annual SpeakIn Leadership Conclave, organized by the leading B2B Learning platform SpeakIn, brought together policymakers, experts, and thought leaders to discuss India’s challenges and opportunities. During the event, the honourable minister shared insights from her career, highlighting the significance of rejections as catalysts for personal growth and advancement. She encouraged young professionals and leaders to trust their own instincts.
The union minister emphasized the importance of approaching life with gratitude and resilience. She shared her own experiences, stating, “Rejections certainly made me better as time passed on. If you do not live life with that belief, it breaks you.” She also urged youngsters to proactively seek opportunities, emphasizing that opportunities don’t come
knocking on their own. “You have to lead your life to positions where new arenas of engagement come to you,” she said.
Smt. Smriti Irani illustrated her point with a personal anecdote, recalling a rejection she faced when auditioning for a Pressure Cooker Ad film. The producer had suggested she lacked the qualities of a homemaker. However, shortly after, she landed a role in a television serial playing the roles of ‘Saas’ and ‘Bahu.’
She advised leaders in various fields, including business, bureaucracy, and media, to trust their instincts and not be swayed by unsolicited advice. She celebrated those who had carved their own path, remarking, “All of them are here today because they didn’t need advice and they carved their own niche for themselves. So, I will just say keep listening to yourself.”
A panel discussion during the event titled ‘India on an Expedited Path to World Leadership’ featured prominent figures like CP Gurnani, CEO and MD of Tech Mahindra, Lt. General Deependra Singh Hooda, Manoj Kohli, former Country Head of Soft Bank, and CK Mishra, former Health Secretary. The discussion revolved around India’s transformation and its journey toward global leadership, considering various factors, including human talent, bureaucracy, infrastructure, defense capabilities, and the global economic and political environment.
The panelists highlighted the significant progress India has made in recent years and its potential for global leadership. They acknowledged the importance of human talent and celebrated the achievements of award-winning individuals in various fields. While bureaucracy was discussed as a potential challenge, the role of governance and systemic changes in driving progress was recognized.
The conversation extended to infrastructure development, particularly digital infrastructure and public infrastructure. The positive developments in the ease of doing business and remote work due to improved infrastructure were noted. However, concerns were raised about the backlog in the judicial system, emphasizing the need for judicial reforms to expedite legal proceedings.
Other notable leaders who shared their insights on ‘The Shades of Leadership’ included Freddy Svane, Ambassador at the Royal Danish Embassy in New Delhi, Hari Chandana Dasari, Commissioner Food Safety and Director AYUSH Telangana, Piyush Pandey, Chief Creative Officer Worldwide Executive Chairman India Ogilvy & Mather, SY Quraishi, Former Chief Election Commissioner of India, Ashish Kumar Bhutani, Indian Administrative Services Ad. Chief Secretary Assam, Tom Mills, Director Two Oceans Strategy, and Bhupesh Chaudhary, Director, Training and Technical Education (TE), Delhi.
The event commenced with a warm welcome from Mrs. Deepshikha Kumar, Founder and CEO of SpeakIn.
“India has emerged as a major thought leader over the last one decade and Speakin’s journey is a reflection of that too as we are helping to attain greater synergies between corporate and the government through imparting training and skill sets to leaders of today and tomorrow”, she said.
She highlighted SpeakIn’s role as Asia’s largest digital learning platform, offering 1:1 coaching to help learners address professional challenges related to leadership, communication, motivation, and more. The platform features a curated network of over 18,000 global CxOs, SMEs, Thought Leaders, and Academicians, covering 500+ topics.
SpeakIn, headquartered in Singapore, has served over 400 enterprise clients and more than 1.5 million professionals in eight countries through 1:1 coaching, group speaker sessions, and self-paced videos, blogs, and podcasts.
The event concluded with the felicitation of thought leaders for their outstanding contributions during their distinguished careers spanning over three decades.
