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Firstly, a heartfelt thank you to everyone who joined us live for another riveting episode of the Career Shifts Podcast. Yesterday, I had the privilege and honour of hosting @Nathan, a leader who needs no introduction. Nathan’s illustrious career journey across various industries offers profound insights into the art of career transformation.
Why This Podcast? The inspiration behind this podcast comes from a deep-seated belief in the transformative power of sharing and learning from each other’s career journeys. By delving into the stories of seasoned professionals like Nathan, we aim to uncover the tools and mindsets that facilitate successful career shifts and help others navigate their paths with confidence and foresight. The Career Shifts Podcast is a platform where we bring you in-depth conversations with successful professionals from various industries, sharing their career journeys, insights, and advice. Each episode is designed to provide you with actionable advice and inspiration to navigate your career shifts.
Nathan’s Recent Career Shift: Nathan SV, a humble and relatable figure, shared how Visara Partners came to be, starting with a call from his good friend, @Sreekanth K Arimanithaya, about six to eight months ago. Sree challenged Nathan with the idea of starting something entirely new, sparking excitement in Nathan. However, he harboured a slight regret about not having started this journey five to seven years earlier. Nathan’s humility and openness about his journey underscored the importance of embracing new experiences and extending beyond one’s comfort zone to stay relevant and continue learning, highlighting that true learning often extends beyond books and into real-world experiences.
The Meaning of Visara: Nathan explained that Visara translates to ‘abundance.’ He passionately discussed creating opportunities for others and fostering an environment where individuals can realize their full potential. Nathan emphasized that Visara is about helping people discover the abundance within themselves and recognizing everyone’s untapped potential. He shared experiences of witnessing significant transformations in individuals who have evolved completely, much like a caterpillar into a butterfly. His reflections tied to the belief that fostering such growth in others not only benefits them but also enriches the broader community. This philosophy of giving back and contributing to others’ success underpins the mission of Visara.
The Jambavan Metaphor: Nathan referenced a powerful metaphor from the Indian epics, the Ramayana and Mahabharata, highlighting the character Jambavan, who helped Hanuman realize his latent powers. He explained that, like Jambavan, who affirmed Hanuman’s abilities, enabling him to achieve incredible feats, each of us has the potential to inspire others to recognize and harness their capacities. This approach empowers individuals and fosters collective growth and potential.
Insights and Advice from Our Conversation
1. Managing Career Transitions: Navigating job changes and transitions often involves learning, unlearning, and battling impostor syndrome. Nathan described this as a common cycle: starting strong, hitting an inflection point where self-doubt creeps in, and then finding the trigger to move forward.
- Nathan’s Reflections: Seek honest feedback and write down your skills and areas for improvement to clarify your path.
- Nathan’s Advice: Identify your strengths and weaknesses and engage with mentors who can provide valuable guidance.
2. Mid-Career Crisis: Nathan opened up about the downturn of 2000, which was marked by self-doubt and a search for purpose. He found strength through introspection and his wife’s unwavering support.
- Nathan’s Reflections: Understanding your life’s purpose and maintaining optimism is crucial.
- Nathan’s Advice: Reflect deeply and find your own purpose.
3. Adapting to Disruptions: Nathan highlighted the importance of a positive attitude and adaptability, recounting his time at Sterling Holiday Resorts, where employees’ resilience and never-say-die attitudes made a significant impact.
- Nathan’s Reflections: The resilience and positive attitude of employees can significantly impact an organization.
- Nathan’s Advice: Embrace changes and continuously seek new learning opportunities within your organization, no matter how challenging the environment might be.
4. Mentoring and Coaching: Nathan emphasized the crucial role of mentors in his career, sharing a memorable appraisal conversation with a mentor that transformed his outlook.
- Nathan’s Reflections: Meaningful feedback and guidance from mentors can profoundly impact your career.
- Nathan’s Advice: Seek out mentors who can offer time, guidance, and honest feedback to help you navigate your career with more confidence.
5. Navigating Office Politics: Nathan believes it is important to understand office politics without getting deeply involved. He stressed the importance of self-respect and patience.
- Nathan’s Reflections: If the work environment becomes toxic, it’s essential to evaluate your options and consider changing roles or organizations.
- Nathan’s Advice: Patience combined with self-awareness can help you weather difficult situations until a better opportunity arises.
6. Embracing Career Shifts: Nathan shared an inspiring story about a friend who transitioned from a failed farming venture to a thriving career in real estate, illustrating the importance of resilience and adaptability.
- Nathan’s Reflections: Resilience and adaptability are key to navigating career shifts successfully.
- Nathan’s Advice: Stay open to new opportunities and be willing to pivot when necessary.
Final Thoughts
Nathan’s parting message was clear: Stay patient, keep seeking feedback, and never stop learning. He believes in the power of now and the potential of tomorrow. He encouraged everyone to embrace their unique journeys, understand their purpose, and continuously strive for growth. Nathan’s reflections and stories offer valuable lessons on career transitions, resilience, and the importance of staying true to oneself.
The Rapid-Fire Round
In an engaging rapid-fire session, Nathan shared personal insights that painted a vivid picture of his beliefs and experiences:
- Legacy: Nathan doesn’t really believe in leaving a legacy. Instead, he focuses on continuously doing good without worrying about what you’ve already accomplished. He loves the philosophy of Visara, which is about creating abundance without making a big deal about it.
- Book Recommendations: Nathan’s main advice is to get into the habit of reading, regardless of the book. He suggests “Managing Career Crisis” by Dr. Ajay Bhatia and Dr. Subodh Saluja for those dealing with midlife crises. He also encourages reading fiction to spark your imagination and get lost in different worlds.
- Career-Shaping Decision: The biggest decision that shaped Nathan’s career is acceptance. He believes in accepting situations, no matter how tough, and moving forward.
- Greatest Inspirations: Nathan’s greatest inspirations are his grandmother and mother. His grandmother, despite her disability, and his mother, who raised three children and impacted many lives around her, have both been remarkable role models for him.
- Final Thoughts: Nathan left us with the thought that “Life is beautiful.” He expressed a desire to meet and listen to the listeners’ stories, acknowledging that everyone has an incredible life story with many more pages to fill.
Nathan’s words remind us of the power of acceptance, the importance of doing good, and the beauty of life’s journey. I hope you find inspiration in his insights as much as I did.
In Summary
Nathan’s career journey provides abundant insights for anyone at a career crossroads. His experiences remind us that career transitions are opportunities for growth and self-discovery. As we wrapped up the episode, Nathan’s stories inspired and equipped us to tackle our career transformations with renewed vigour and strategic foresight.
I encourage you to reflect on Nathan’s insights and consider how you can apply them to your own career journey. Remember, the key to successful career shifts is a combination of self-awareness, continuous learning, embracing vulnerability, building networks, and resilience.
Stay tuned for more insightful episodes of the Career Shifts Podcast, where we will continue to explore the narratives that shape successful careers and foster professional growth. Here’s to embracing your next career opportunity with enthusiasm and preparedness!
#leadership #careershifts #podcast #newnormal
