Axis Bank CEO Shikha Sharma gave a warm speech to this year's graduating batch of the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad, asking students to look beyond the surface when choosing the right partner. An alumnus of IIM-A, Sharma spoke of three choices that shaped her career.
“You are poised to enter the real world tomorrow, the choices you make there will decide who you become. Today I want to talk to you about these choices. The choice of the life partner is the single most important choice you will make in your life,” Sharma said. “Much of the joy you derive on the journey of life, does hark back to who you choose to share your journey with. A lot of what I am today are a function of the partner I was lucky to have alongside my journey.”
She said, “Indulge me for a minute if I sound like a mom here, but when you are out there, looking for a partner, look beyond their looks, their success, their style. The durability and strength of your relationship is not going to come from your partner's personality, it is going to come from their character. So remember to look well beneath the surface. The money, the fancy title, the foosball table in the break room, they are all very exciting. But in most cases, that's not what makes for a fulfilling career. You want to join an organisation that has values that match yours, that has people who you can be yourself with, that gives you the space to be who you have the potential to be as a professional.”
