Consultants can play a pivotal role in any progressive organization. They help organizations in overcoming various challenges they might be facing and thus provides that extra push to the organization that is needed to achieve excellence and ultimately sustainable continual development. There are various ways in which a consultant helps and accelerates the improvement – transformation journey for an organization. In this edition of iFaber, we are going to explore the life of one such consultant – Mr. Prasad Kadam who has helped multiple clients in various industries in different paradigms. Below is an excerpt of our conversation with Mr. Kadam, Management Consultant at Faber Infinite Consulting.

Faber Infinite (FI): What is your role at Faber Infinite Consulting? What three words would you use to describe your role?

Prasad Kadam (PK): Currently, I am working as a Team Leader at Faber Infinite Consulting. We help our clients in creating a more optimized and efficient work environment where they can make the most of their resources and efforts to gain optimum results with maximized profitability.

If I were to describe my role in three words, I will choose trendsetter, change manager and empathizer. Trendsetter, because I want and constantly work towards setting trends in the organization I work with or at a client site where I add value. The same goes for my team and its members as well. Change manager, because it is my job as a consultant to manage the change at the client sites and work in a manner that the management themselves feel like implementing the change without my persuasion or facing any resistance. And lastly, empathizer because it is very important for any consultant to empathize with the people they are working with, in order to understand their problems and the kind of situations they are stuck in.

FI: What does a typical day look like for you at Faber Infinite?

PK: I start my day with visualizing the tasks and work I have to do for the day and the way I will do them with my team and its members. I talk to my team members to keep them motivated and encouraged and assist them with any problems they might be facing and ultimately help them in achieving the desired targets and completing the tasks and goals with a better and more efficient output. I also usually organize an evening session with my team so that they can come forward, mingle with the other members and talk about all the good work they have done in the entire day. I believe this creates and strengthens the bond between us. So yeah! That is what my usual day at Faber Infinite looks like.

FI: What is most rewarding about your job; what makes it all worthwhile?

PK: My job is my passion! I have wanted to be a consultant for a very long time. I have worked as a line manager for more than 14 years and wanted to add value to several organizations from what I have captured so far. So, I would say that working for something I am extremely passionate about, is worth all my efforts and hard work because it simply gives me immense peace and satisfaction in my life.

FI: What is your motto or personal mantra?

PK:  As the Alchemist puts it, which also part of popular Bollywood film – “If  you aspire something desperately from the bottom of your heart, the entire universe will conspire to help you to realize what you desire!”

I would say, I have experienced this personally and this is my personal mantra! So, keep aspiring and keep realizing!
FI: What are your biggest professional challenges?

PK: As a consultant, one must work in different industries with diverse clients and various needs and requirements. Hence, learning about a new industry and getting the real facts and figures from the clients, by asking them the precise questions for analyzing and getting the right problem-solving methodology in a restricted time frame is one of the biggest challenges any consultant faces in his profession.

Moreover, personally, I am a very direct person. If someone will ask me any question, I would prefer to reply to them directly. It needs to be handled well when you are working on people challenges to make all involved stakeholders understand the broad benefits.

FI: If you could change one thing about working here, what would it be?

PK: Consulting is a very creative job, which usually demands time and structured communication. However in case, if there is a lack of communication between the teams, which may result in the difference in strategies and techniques involved while presenting the solutions. It may result in teams presenting different problem-solving methodology during the solution phase. Although, both the methods could be equally correct, I sometimes feel that having a standardized flow of thoughts can do wonders for the projects. It would also help in eliminating the slightest chances of any mistake that might creep in. That is what we should strive towards!

FI: How has Faber Infinite helped you in your career development?

PK: Well as I said earlier, I have worked as a line manager for more than 14+ years. So, in these years, I have only got to know about one industry. However, after working with Faber, within a year I have got to offer my learnings to multiple industries. Faber Infinite has definitely helped me a lot in learning about the new things, tools and techniques that will be ultimately beneficial for my career. Learning here has been very steep towards the top for me. Also, Faber Infinite has helped me work for my passion, helped me in doing something I have always wanted to do as a professional.

FI: What do you like most about Faber?

PK: At Faber Infinite, one would find an exceptional culture. The culture here is just amazing. People work in harmony and we celebrate all festivals together at Faber Infinite. This creates a sense of belonging and togetherness in people’s minds which ultimately motivates them to do and achieve more. Moreover, leadership here is very supportive. They listen to the people and promote everyone to share their thoughts and feedback without any hesitation. That is truly amazing! This certainly helps in decision making which is relatively very quick when compared to other organizations. This acts as a crucial factor in any project for the employees. These are certain things that I really like about my workplace.

FI: Tell us something which we do not know about you

PK (smiling): I go and attend ‘satsang’ almost every day irrespective of the place or city I am in. If I have enough time in my hand, I will find a ‘satsang’ place and go and visit it. It helps me in keeping myself calm, composed, organized, focused and poised on work, my profession and my personal life. It helps me in keeping my mind at peace and teaches me how to control emotions and be modest.

Thank you, Faber Prasad, for sharing these wonderful and encouraging details about you and life at Faber. We wish you luck for all your future assignments.
Written & Compiled by Faber Kishlay & Faber Mayuri