Our Founder’s Inspiration by Dean Kershaw

Greetings and best wishes to all Global Vox. With Kunalsinh on sabbatical, I’ve been asked to fill in with words of wisdom from our founder. It’s a daunting task, but Kunalsinh has served as an inspiration for us since our beginning as a company, so it’s not difficult to recount his wisdom and guidance.

This month I’d like to talk about three cardinal virtues passed on to me by Kunalsinh: 1. Remember your roots; 2. Focus on the future; and 3. Trust your friends.

Remember your roots

One of Global Vox’s enduring strengths is its multicultural and multinational work force. We represent the best of our nation’s heritage. And the subtle difference in how we approach our work gives us a breadth of understanding of our multinational clients unmatched by purely national firms. To that end, let’s look at our founder, Kunalsinh Vaghela. Kunalsinh is a Rajput from the Vaghela dynasty (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vaghela_dynasty). Kunalsinh is descended from the last Hindu monarchs who ruled Gujarat in the 13th Century. His father still bears the title of Maharana of Godhav. Rajputs, according to Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rajput), were not originally born to royalty, they became rulers based on their warrior ethos. With a keen sense of ancestry and a fierce devotion to personal honor, the Vaghela’s are known for their dependability and personal integrity. Kunalsinh is emblematic of his roots: he is personally driven to succeed and when he gives you his word, there is no doubt in the outcome. He is honest to a fault. He tells it like its and doesn’t deal in half truths. I trust him like a brother.

Focus on the future

While we pay homage to the past (we’re the sum of our experiences and training), we live in the present and must focus on our future so we can chart our way ahead. We do this by embracing the ideal of continuous improvement in our personal and business lives. Personally, we strive to better ourselves. Learning new skills. Seeking new challenges. Growing professionally and maturing as a person. Clearly, the emphasis on individual certifications bears witness to this journey. And our corporate ISO and CMMI certifications track our performance as a team. There is no better way to demonstrate professional competence than by delivering superior results on a client’s project, but third-party certifications serve as our calling card … attesting to the level of competence we bring to the table. Certifications light our way forward.

Trust your friends

Trust is a two-way street. It is the bond between friends, team members, and our clients. Trust is earned and demonstrated with our every interaction. It’s not something you turn on and off depending on how you feel. Once breached, it’s lost forever. It’s the understanding that your word is your bond. It doesn’t mean that you agree on everything. On the contrary, you may often disagree … but you know you’ll get an honest answer and a commitment to see the job to its logical conclusion. I trust Kunalsinh, as a friend and brother. [Yes, this ties back in to point number one.]

That’s all for this month. See you here in October.

Director's Message

The insight and experience that comes with age and what we gain from others - is a valuable source of inspiration and motivation. Even the world's most successful individuals have experienced their fair share of setbacks and hardships. There's much to learn from their challenges as well as their success. Luckily, a lot of this wisdom is condensed into meaningful quotes.

Sharing some of my favorite quotes of all times. Would love to get your 2 cents on these lines.

Leo’s Roar by Leo

To all my good friends and fellow Global Vox team members and partners, greetings! This marks my inaugural message to the company.

This month, I want to talk about you and me as individuals. As Dean likes to say, I’m going to beat three drums … loudly and often. First, be proud of who you are. Second, get to know your neighbors, at home and at work. And finally, be part of the solution. Contribute to your family, your community, and your company.

Pride

I got my job with Global Vox because I was proud of me: my heritage, my accomplishments, and my outgoing nature. Kunalsinh wanted a Chief Morale Officer (aka Mascot) who could represent the company around the world. I threw my hat into the ring and the rest, as they say, is history. I come from a long and proud line of Asiatic Lions that are native to the Gir National Park in Gujarat, India. My ancestors ruled the forest, jungle, and plains where they roamed. They were possessed of courage, integrity, and determination. So, it was an easy leap to join Global Vox.

Know your neighbors

This is a tough one for me. Since I’m currently living abroad (I’m a resident lion in the United States on an L-1 visa), it is difficult to meet all of my co-workers in Gujarat in person. But I trust that before too long, they will travel to the U.S., or I will travel home to India. In the meantime, I’m asking everyone to send me an email and tell me about yourself. Your likes (and dislikes), your hobbies, your family. Let’s get to know each other away from the office. In fact, I’m going to ask Anjali to add a team member page to BUZZ so we can showcase multiple people each month. I’m think 3-5 every month. That way everybody will be in the news at least once a month. Maybe we tie it to whoever is having a birthday that month. Focus on who you are away from the office. Share your dreams. I want to grow up to be the lion you see at the beginning of MGM movies. Is there an opening in Bollywood?

Be part of the solution

This is an easy one. Just speak up. I get attention by roaring. No, you don’t have to shout. What it really means is have something to say. Contribute to what’s going on. Don’t just stay quiet and do your work. Tell us when we’ve gone astray … or when you have a good idea. A team takes its strength from all of its members, not just its leader. It’s the old adage that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. I’ll let you sleep on this point.

That’s all for this month. I’ll leave you with some pictures from my vacation to Keuka Lake in New York in the U.S.

Bye for now … Leo