My Public Relations skills redefined...

There is no age and end to learning and I’m glad it is that way!

Martin Yan quoted, ‘When you enjoy what you do, work becomes play.’ I experienced this first-hand when all of my assignments involved fun brainstorming tasks, developing creative plans etc.

“Work From Home” (WFH), a term that is mostly used by many companies in today’s date due to the continuing pandemic. But have we ever experienced a workplace where there is an equal balance of professional and personal life? Greg Kincaid, a revered author, and filmmaker, once said, “No matter how much falls on us, we keep ploughing ahead. That’s the only way to keep the roads clear.” These words came to me at the dawn of this pandemic, a time I needed it most. I was determined to keep moving ahead and my determination joined hands with opportunity and bingo! I joined ElleQuinn.

I came on board as a consultant for a short-term project and today more than a year and half down the line the trust, integrity, and self-confidence has proved to be my strongest points of motivation. The most interesting part is I had zero knowledge of the technology industry and its counterparts. I was a stranger to ideas like data centers and my interactions with tech-based journalists were almost NIL. A challenge for me then is my specialization today. Data centers and Cloud Exchange were very new topics for me. Through a few samples, small inductions on ways to generate information and a whole lot of patience my pitches got better and better each time. Researching and reading up helped me understand the industry a little more. 

There was no repetitive follow-up for my tasks and this is how trust was built in. Most of us have heard statements from our bosses such as, “Is the work done? How long would it take?” and those follow-ups go on and on. As a matter of fact, I felt my work schedule was very flexible, which emphasizes the comfort level. While I always perceived walking into a boss’ room with queries intimidating, the comfort gave me the freedom to pick up my phone and discuss the roadblocks I experienced freely.

Like a usual first day at work I packed my thoughts and nervousness trying to map what it would be like. A strict boss? A 9-5 rigid working schedule? A four-walled office room with lots of cubicles and colleagues all with their headphones busy serving clients continually?? But then I felt like I was in for a treat because the firm I now was a part of believed in fostering a work-life balance. Belonging to a place with a completely different set of ideas, beliefs, and work processes has helped me align my priorities, build on my strengths and give my life an all-round development. 

Martin Yan quoted, ‘When you enjoy what you do, work becomes play.’ I experienced this first-hand when all of my assignments involved fun brainstorming tasks, developing creative plans etc. For instance, while everyone including me is curious about the life of Bollywood stars working here made me understand all the different aspects that go into bringing a celebrity life together and everything that is done to keep them in the constant spotlight.  Every day involved getting myself to think differently, expand my horizons of strategy and get creative. 

‘Media Relations’ was just about having regular work communications with a journalist. Honestly, I believed journalists are horribly rude people and I feared every phone call I had to make to them. Today the relationships I’ve developed with journalists is my greatest win. I began greeting them, sharing ideas with them and today I’m just so confident about maintaining good media relations.  For me it’s like Media relations redefined.

I always believed that job satisfaction is what I needed most from my work place. But over the last one and half year I’ve realized that job satisfaction does not come through celebrating special days like Yoga Day, Traditional Day etc. or going on annual picnics but through an environment that ensures a comfort in everyday working and tasks that add meaning to the things I do thereby bringing out the best in me. At this moment, I find myself a step ahead. What proves it is that some of my stories on data centers have been reused by Cat A online platforms. All nurtured in a remote working environment, the experience of a hands-on creative process with learning, thinking, and analyzing has borne fruit.

Working with flexibility allowed me to invest time in my well-being as well. A faith that navigated to be better and a transparent communicator is something that brought up my productivity. In this one and a half year of my professional journey, the semi-filled vessel that I had is now being poured with knowledge day by day, with integrity, and new ideas of leveraging strategies. But as they say, there is no age and end to learning and I’m glad it is that way!