Came across this article in the Reader's Digest (December 1999) and wondered if other Goanetters would like to share their experiences too:
THE STENO-TYPIST: When I failed my school-leaving exams -- maths, always my bugbear, let me down -- I knew that formal education and I had parted ways for ever. My father, who wanted me to become a doctor, was very upset, but there was no way I was going to open a mathematics textbook again. I enrolled in a typing class and in August 1947, a few months short of my 16th birthday, started working in a small Mumbai insurance company at a salary of Rs 60 a month. My first letter was a disaster. After dictating it to me, my boss said, "Type, 'By Air'." Misunderstanding him, I keyed in 'Buyer' instead -- and that too, in the letter! My outraged boss gave me such a humiliating dressing down in front of the other employees that I nearly started crying. In fact, I often felt alone and lost those days. No one showed me how insurance policies had to be typed, and I made mistakes. I realised that to make a success of my job, I had to rely on myself. So I started coming to work early and pored through old files to figure out the right formats. I worked flat out, always re-checking my work to make sure that it was perfect. I listened carefully to what people said and if someone didn't make sense, I opened my mouth and asked questions. Things began to fall into place. In the seven months I worked there, I received three raises. I moved on to other jobs and in 1951 joined the advertising agency J Walter Thompson as secretary to a senior account executive. I loved advertising, and picked up a lot of useful knowledge. After leaving Thompson, I worked in three other organizations and by 1972 felt confident enough to start my own agency. Running one's own outfit was a constant challenge, but I was greatly helped by what I learnt in my first job. It's so important to be self reliant, to always keep one's ears and eyes open, to do one's work as perfectly as possible. And, oh yes -- to never, ever criticize anyone in front of others. Respecting people is the first rule of all successful leadership. [Walter Saldanha, 68 (in 1999), founder of Chaitra Advertising Private Limited, now Chaitra Leo Burnett, recently retired as the agency's executive chairman.]
