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In a confluence of professional accomplishment and literary debut, Lulu Raghavan had been recently elevated to the role of President, APAC at Landor while simultaneously unveiling her first book, "Go Further, Faster: A Practical Guide to Advancing Your Career" with the foreword written by P V Sindhu.
Previously, Raghavan spoke to BW Marketing World on her elevation at Landor, where she has been a stalwart for 23 years mentioning, "My focus will be to unleash growth and realise the immense potential of APAC for Landor."
Holistic Approach
Raghavan's book, 'Go Further, Faster' captures the essence of her journey. It is not just a career guide but a holistic approach to professional and personal development. As Raghavan explains, "I wish that I had written this book earlier. I wish when I was starting in the world of work, I had a blueprint like this to say - Here are the things that you need to keep in mind - a holistic approach."
The book is structured in three parts, covering holistic professional development, personal branding and the importance of continuous growth. But it's the personal touch that makes Raghavan's work even more interesting. "It's very much like a friend talking to you and telling you like, hey, these are the things you should take care of," she explains, describing the book's approachable tone.
One of the aspects of Raghavan's philosophy is her emphasis on giving back and nurturing the next generation of talent. "I think it goes back to. You've got to really give a lot to get. You've got to be a giver. And to be a giver, you've got to take care of yourself very holistically," she explained.
Moreover, an impression that Raghavan believes the book imparts is to be disciplined and focused.
"I think the most important lesson which is an implicit takeaway is that when you give, you get, and you've got to be generous about giving and have an abundance mindset. It sounds very simple, but that consistency, discipline and focus of blooming where you are is more crucial rather than constantly thinking of the next thing."
Personal Branding
Raghavan's insights on personal branding are particularly impressive in today's competitive market. It is also a key focus in her book. She cautions against common mistakes stating, "I would say mistakes are just going on social media and just starting to talk about anything and everything. Just not having a clear intent for how you're showing up, how you speak, what are the topics in which you're sharing or how are you presenting yourself? It's like advertising before being clear on what your brand is about".
Talking about personal branding and business going hand-in-hand, she adds, "I think they're very synergistic. Strong personal brands attract people to the company. You look at Falguni Nayar of Nykaa, the personal brand of the founder or senior leader, Sanjeev Mehta of Unilever. You become a spokesman for the company."
On the challenge of balancing a high-powered career with a personal life, Raghavan credits her success to her rigorous time management and discipline. "It comes down to time management, discipline, knowing what to say yes to, what to say no to," she says.
Human Creativity & AI
Raghavan's journey and her book offer valuable lessons on mentorship, handling failure and recognizing blind spots in one's career. On mentorship, she shares, "I think it's extremely critical because what is mentorship? A mentor is somebody who shares with you their experience. So you are actually shortcutting those years by getting the wisdom and the experience of others."
As for dealing with failure, her approach is both realistic and optimistic. "Failures are a part of the journey. I've had many failures where I was rejected, criticised and didn't feel valued. I think you can sit with it, but not for more than 24 hours. You'll sorrow but show up the next day with optimism", the author expresses.
In an era of rapid technological advancement, especially with the advancement of AI, Raghavan emphasises the importance of human creativity and emotional intelligence. "The underground understanding that AI is there to augment human utility and human output not to replace is important or rather the value added around the emotions, the creativity, that higher order thinking is something that AI can never do", she stresses.
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