An Interview with Rakhi Dutta | Leadership & Management Guru

TheShareStory.in is an initiative to build a community of Entrepreneurs, Founders, Startups & Industry Stalwarts to celebrate success & to learn from shortfalls, and to Contribute, Inspire & Embellish Entrepreneurship by sharing their exciting Stories!

And as a part of our initiative, This time we invited a Leadership & Management Guru Ms. Rakhi Dutta for an interview with us to understand more about her journey. Over the course of her career, she has made a name for herself as an expert on leadership, hiring, team building, management, performance optimization, communication, emotional intelligence, time management, and other topics that are key to improving the ways that organizations function and thrive. She is also the Founder At Shivaditya Trainings. Let’s learn more about her exciting journey, her background and her advice for our growing community! 

Tell us a little bit about yourself and your journey, please;

My name is Rakhi Dutta. I am a very confident, down to earth & an optimistic person. I love helping people, but only those who genuinely need my help and are not just trying to avoid hard work. 

My journey has not been easy like that of others. Maybe a little more somewhere but not any less. Being a woman and a human being, I have faced all the challenges possible to be given by God. By saying this, I am not blaming Him but thanking Him for being stringent towards me in life and not giving me everything I asked for but everything I needed instead. To reach where I am today would not have been possible at any cost, if He did not take me for a full-ride with great speed. Again, by this, I don’t mean professionally but as a person. The way I am transformed today as a human being is extremely creditable to God because He’s the one who has been holding my hand during all the dips I have been through. He never left me alone but never made it so easy for me either. I got up to this point because I never gave up. Giving up & fearing challenges isn’t there in my dictionary. 

Bhagwad Gita is a blessing I received after a long time in my life. But when it came, it changed my life upside down. Today I breathe Gita & Gita guides me to the fullest. I am also blessed by God with a Guruji who’s again a God in human form for me, ‘Guruji G. Narayana’. He’s my light whenever I lose upon knowledge or real understanding of Bhagwad Gita or any other Indian wisdom. He’s a superhuman & a live moving Bhagwad Gita on this Earth.

Please Provide a brief overview of your Product & Services?

By product, I would say truth is my product. Whoever wishes to learn about it, listen to it, accept it & implement it can come to me. Since nothing in this world is available free of cost, my product costs a little too but compared to its actual worth, which is priceless. Besides that, I have been into learning & development for corporates & educational institutions for 20+ years now. I have been providing services to Pan India for training on various kinds of Management and Soft skills for their employees. My hardcore profile is into developing real “Leadership through Bhagwad Gita”. This is my Signature module which I have developed after a lot of R&D since years now and it will continue till my last breath. 

I can bet on my signature product to be unbeatable by any other training and concept. Since it’s not me it’s Krishna’s preaching, it is beyond priceless and also an ultimate solution to life’s in and out issues and beyond that.

What inspired you to build the above Product & Service?

My life experiences inspired me to look for something which could make me feel complete with true knowledge and learning. That is how I built this. I wanted to have the right Guru to teach these things to me, in fact, I wanted Lord Shiva Himself to be my Guru. That is how He is the only one who guided me towards Bhagwad Gita – the universal truth & wisdom from the Jagat Guru Lord Krishna. Fake knowledge sharing & untruthful ways towards life in the professional & personal sectors by people also compelled me to seek something, which I can share through my profession and feel satisfied with from inside for passing the right message.

How did you find the industry/niche you are in?

At times it’s difficult to say the truth but since I am bound to speak the truth as per my conscience in this matter, I would say the industry in which I am, plays a big role in developing the nation and the world at large. That being said, I believe that it can truly happen if people practice what they preach. There is a specific category which you cannot even count as millennial trainers. People jump into the industry feeling that it’s an easy job to train people, forgetting that they themselves cannot be trained unless they accept the truth of their reality. 

As per my experience and knowledge, to train someone is one of the biggest challenges. That too, when it’s adults. Since they are already built with a rigid mindset, successful positions and their qualifications make them feel content with whatever they know. That is exactly where the role of Gurus come. The level of experience in life and their maturity level to handle such qualified people becomes a task. Hence, if the industry in which you are, is into spreading knowledge and skills, while you yourself are not accustomed to it, then you will not only ruin your own identity but also the industry’s image altogether. 

Otherwise, this industry is considered to be one of the most respectable parts of the corporate sector, in the education sector and also in general for the overall development of an individual to overall organizational development. The signature module which I have made from ‘Bhagwad Gita’ for Corporates and the general public to bring a positive change in the professional & personal sectors has been fulfilling.

What is your life Mantra?

Rules, promises, oath – is nothing.

If there is something – its ‘Time’ – a person who responds as per time is successful.

The most challenging part of your journey to date and how did you overcome those challenges?

The most challenging part is hard to identify since my journey has countless challenges. I can collectively say, that whenever I face a drastic challenge in life personally or professionally, the first thing that I do is trust myself. Then I assure myself that this too shall pass. If God brought me out from the previous challenges to make me this strong then this one will only make me stronger. Exams and entrance tests are necessary before any big opportunity and responsibilities are handed over to someone, right?

Today when I look back, I feel I am at the top of Mt Everest and the challenges seem to be so small. But the moment I begin to feel that, I face a bigger road ahead, where I have to walk in the harsh weather of life, that too, alone. 

How are you managing your life and work during Lockdown caused by COVID 19?

I am managing the way everyone is, there is nothing special I am doing to cope up with the lockdown. Respecting the PM’s guidance & decision for our betterment is my responsibility. Hence, my work is as it is but more focused online due to no social gatherings. No training programs are allowed to be conducted due to social distancing.

I am utilising this time to upgrade myself more into knowledge and wisdom. I read many authentic books regarding indian wisdom, talk to my Guruji regularly for solving queries, listen to wonderful videos of highly experienced people. 

I have made my own YouTube videos during this COVID-19 Lockdown only. Hence, I’m happier than being sad due to increased me time. 

Here is a link to my YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/u7ZYFNDjmV0

It would be great if you could drop by and subscribe. 

What is your source of motivation for the day when you wake up?

My work with regards to Bhagwad Gita motivates me every day when I get up. I always feel as if it’s the first time I’m working on it, it makes me feel as fresh as it was in the beginning.

Money or Emotions, what comes first for you?

Emotions. As money can be earned but emotions are not available with money. I’m a very emotional person. Neither I allow anyone to play with my emotions nor I like to do that with others. 

But at the same time, I don’t allow my emotions to cloud my decisions in life. That moment is completely true to the fact as needed.

How do you manage your stress?

I talk to my friends. I listen to Bhagwad Gita explanations and also to a few top well-versed realistic motivational videos. 

And the best way to manage my stress is, I shut everything and put on my earplugs to listen to Mrityunjay Maha-mantra or Hanuman Chalisa or any strong but silent songs of Shiva & start meditating on Him. My stress vanishes in no time and follows with complete mental peace & proper solution as well to the reason of stress.

What according to you are keys to success?

I feel Success is how you have maintained yourself all your life on your professional and personal fronts. It’s a lot of your own attitude, thinking, way of accepting things on the face, solving each problem of life without expecting the outcome as per your wish and thinking about other’s benefits as well, to maintain your character & dignity but not at the cost of others happiness instead with complete honesty & ethics like the Tata’s.

Most of the time people believe success means by hook or crook climbing the ladders even if it’s by leg-pulling or cut-throat competition. But, when you and your work speak volumes of trust, quality and service to the customers, they aren’t too blind to see that. 

Another thing that a person should accept is that not everyone’s success level is equal as all have their scale of measuring the success. 

Like for me, success is to see the respect in my son’s eyes for me and consider me as his role model and to feel proud that I’m his mother. To see the satisfaction in my parent’s eyes and happiness in their heart to know whatever their daughter is doing is the best for which they can talk proudly with their near and dear ones. For me, success is to give people a reason to follow me & my footsteps to better their life and face the challenges strongly. 

What Online Apps/tools do you use the most and Why?

I use WhatsApp, LinkedIn, Facebook the most, but 90% for business purposes. Due to lockdown I also opted for zoom but again since it’s corrupted, I stopped. I am not that techno-savvy. 

What habit you think, makes you more productive?

‘Not giving up at all cost’ and ‘My boldness towards life & its challenges’ are the two things which are not letting me down in my own eyes. It’s the only way you can say I have reached till here. Of course, the first reason is Krishna holding my hands tightly without making me feel that He’s doing so that I don’t leave everything on Him, but I still know it’s Him. 

Your business Goals/plans for the next 3 years?

I don’t believe in such yearly planning honestly as those who will read, understand and believe in Bhagwad Gita and what Krishna says, then they will also know that it’s only your karma on which you have the rights, not on the fruits. Hence, what will happen in future or how much time it will take I can’t guess now or focus on yearly planning since consequences aren’t in my hands. But yes, I can say about my work what I wish to do till the end of my life. 

I want to go global with the knowledge of leadership and management from Gita and wish to take this true learning up to every individual possible on this Earth in any language easier for them to understand. As this is the only “Universal Truth” which even foreigners have researched on largely. The topics are very interesting when added with the storyline of Mahabharata to understand it deeper & clear.

Share a quote that inspires you the most. 

“This too shall pass”

Your advice for Aspiring Entrepreneurs.

My advice may sound a little strange but working somewhere else first is always better than starting your own company immediately as a first experience. As, if you can’t report to someone it becomes a little difficult at times in life to maintain that forum. You learn how it is to work in a team as a team member. Also, it teaches you how to face many other challenges. Since being an entrepreneur is also a good option, as you are also giving an opportunity of employment to others including your dream fulfilment. But, if you don’t have any experience of working or people management then as an entrepreneur you may face a lot of behavioural difficulties in future, as entrepreneurship isn’t only about hard work, chasing your dream, P/L & business, but it’s also about employee satisfaction & customer service.

The most important thing is you should without fail have the attitude of ‘not giving up at any cost’. Many start-ups and businesses fail due to expecting much, before investing enough time, energy & utilisation of knowledge & learning, to face the failures, as we all know, Rome wasn’t built in a day.