Inspiration broadens our horizons, allowing us to see beyond our everyday experiences and limitations. It is beneficial to learn from someone who has worked in different sectors. Captain Raghu Raman is an author, keynote speaker, and faculty member of leadership and strategic management who has worked in cooperative arenas. He is one of India’s most popular motivational speakers.
Educational Background
Raghu Raman earned his diploma from the DTEA in New Delhi and received his bachelor’s degree in commerce from Sri Venkateswara College in 1985. He cleared the CDS exam and the SSB interview and joined as a Gentleman Cadet at the Indian Military Academy.
The motive for Enlisting in the Army
Raghu Raman had no intention of becoming an army officer until he witnessed the 1984 anti-Sikh riots. He was inspired by the army men who stormed in to put an end to the mayhem caused by the riots. He was dead set on joining the Indian army to be a part of an organisation that plays a vital role in saving people.
Service In the Indian Army
From 1986 to 1998, Raghu Raman served in the Indian Army. He joined the Indian Army and was promoted to Captain. During his military career, he was stationed in Punjab for counter-terrorism operations. He has also spent time at Siachen Glacier. Raghu Raman has worked as UN Peacekeeper in Angola and an instructor at the school of Armoured Warfare.
Entering A Corporate Life
After retiring from Army, Raghu Raman joined the Mahindra Group in 1998, where he served as CEO of FirstChoice, then as CEO of MahindraSSG, and finally as CEO of the BAE-Mahindra joint venture.
Working In The National Intelligence Grid
In 2009, the government chose Raghu Raman to create and lead the National Intelligence Grid, an ambitious project launched by the Home Ministry in the aftermath of the 26/11 Mumbai attacks.
At Reliance Industries Limited
Captain Raghu has also served as President of Reliance Industries Limited, where he worked in risk management, security and new initiatives.
Captain As A Man Of Words
Raghu Raman is also a member of the ‘Outstanding Speaker Bureau’ and teaches Leadership, Analytics, Strategy, and Communication in prestigious business schools and institutions. He is also a columnist for the leading Indian business newspaper ‘The MINT’ and the author of “Everyman’s War”.Now he has a significant presence in leading publications and platforms as an excellent speaker.
Debut Work
“Everyman’s War” is a collection of insightful essays that describe our role in securing ourselves and our descendants. It vividly depicts the fundamental issues with India’s internal security while outlining reforms. His extensive list of reforms, which covers everything from cyber-security and national defence to women’s safety, is backed up with historical and modern examples.
Values gained from experiences
His ability to create adaptable leadership frameworks and his status as a motivational speaker was influenced by three radically different work environments. The army bestowed certain qualities on the soldiers and prepared them to deal with any circumstances. He narrates those experiences in a succinct manner that is useful to all.
- Don’t Hang Up On Minor Issues
He learned from experience not to complain about minor problems as it wastes time and energy. On the first day of practice, he shared a comment with their instructor about their seniors, which resulted in the punishment of the entire team. Life is tremendous and there are many challenges to survive. Through this incident, they realized that such trivial things are not relevant there.
- Abilities
The second is about the unique abilities of individuals. Captain Raghu Raman believes that failures highlight our true strengths. Everyone should believe in their skills and move forward in life.
- Alert In All Situations
The army must be on high alert at all times. Nothing should be delayed for them. They are on constant alert even when there are no problems. Similarly, everyone should always be alert. He learned this one lesson, which he strongly believes to be very important in life, from the JCO’s instruction always to keep a weapon close at hand.
- Good Mentor
He believes that a good mentor is someone who comforts his students in all difficulties. The captain recounts the experience of one of his friend’s experience of misfiring a missile twice. He was comforted by the instructor’s remark that misfortune could happen to anyone at any time, but that had ended in the training period rather than on the battlefield. Everybody will go through difficult times in life. We should think that bad luck is over and move towards success.
- Leadership Qualities
In his opinion, the most important is leadership quality. The responsibility of leaders is to create better leaders than themselves.
The Successful Influencer
Capt. Raghu Raman has a unique career profile and his experiences in the military and corporate life have made him the most popular speaker. He shares the lessons he learned from military life and how those experiences have helped him through every phase of his career and every challenge he has faced. The discipline he acquired and maintained in life shaped him to achieve his professional goals and to be a man who inspires others to succeed.
Credits and References
https://leverageedu.com/blog/captain-raghu-raman/
https://www.ssbtosuccess.com/inspirational-story-captain-raghu-raman/