My first year at work: Mix seriousness with some practicality

Rajeev Chopra CEO & MD, Philips Electronics India

Joining: I was given then brief when I joined as a management trainee in 1988 with Reckitt and Coleman in the sales and marketing division. At that stage, you are trying to make a mark. I was posted in Bikaner and responsible for over 20 markets in that region. The good thing was, I got to see small towns in Rajasthan that most people would not have heard of, leave alone seen. I lost nearly 15 kg in the first 25 days as the role required a lot of running around.

Leadership lesson: The best leadership lesson that I learnt is that if you manage your role and deliverables you can do well. Another important attribute I learnt was that to be effective you need to be on the wavelength of people you are working for or with.

Best friend: The best friend that I made on the job is I worked with lots of people & made friends with most of them.

Biggest innovation: My biggest innovation is none worth mentioning. But I was very focused on my role and did my best to learn about distribution

The worst mistake: I handled a category that had some issues and in my overenthusiasm, I ended up earning the wrath of some unscrupulous elements, which forced me to flee the town. However, my distributor later made peace with them. Through this, I learnt a lesson that while it is good to be serious about your job, you need to be practical too.

How I managed my work-life balance: Ihad made an agreement with my boss that I would work non-stop for 25-26 days at a stretch, including on weekends and then for four days, I would take a break and come to Delhi.