The Manager Who Taught Me That People Matter
One of the earliest lessons of my corporate career had nothing to do with technology, processes, or performance. Fresh out of college, I joined Infosys in Pune and was assigned to a product team spread across three different locations. Like most newcomers, I was busy trying to understand the work, the people, and the expectations. A few days into the project, we had a team introduction call. As everyone joined, our manager greeted the team and then turned to one of the senior members with an unexpected question: "You haven't taken leave in quite some time. When are you planning to take a break?" As someone who had heard countless stories about corporate pressure and long working hours, I was genuinely surprised. A manager encouraging an employee to take leave was not what I expected. At that moment, I didn't fully appreciate the significance of what I had witnessed. But as I spent more time working with her, I realized it wasn't a one-off comment. She was deeply...