Gauri Das: Introducing a Pioneering Approach in Human Resources

Leaders come with a passion-driven attitude that reflects further on their professional path. Their passion becomes their guide to lead and aid others around them in absorbing the same energy while doing so. They are not born with it, but it comes with a compassionate vision to achieve something greater than life.

Thought-influenced leaders are known for their pursuit of passion and the vision to see it unfold in real life and influence others to implement that into their aspirations and seek them with a determined mindset.

Businesses usually have many leaders who support and help enhance their organisation in numerous ways to enrich their company values and thereby increase productivity and the company’s overall performance.

Those hidden leaders come in various forms, and one of them happens to be in Human Resources (HR). They not only support businesses in setting the right course but also multifunction in numerous ways, such as reinventing the employee experience, helping improve their capabilities, and ultimately driving their performances to their best.

With a similar thought of leading organisational changes, Gauri Das, Head HR of India Factoring and Finance Solutions, questioned long-established HR practices. She brings thoughtful approaches and methodologies to strategies a productive corporate environment. She has achieved various milestones on her professional journey in the HR sector through her work.

Let’s have a closer look at the professional path of Mrs Gauri Das!

Unveiling About Gauri

Upon being asked about the beginning of her professional journey, she mentions that and addresses herself as a child of India. Further elaborating, she mentions having stayed in six states, to be precise. She says her childhood was spent in a picturesque green place. She studied in vernacular as this place lacked English medium schools.

She emphasises having a joyful upbringing filled with the most important values, such as respect for oneself and others, perseverance, and a positive outlook on life. She reflects on her nature as a child when she was reserved and lacked the confidence to communicate with others.

Gauri later attended an engineering school, surrounded by bright students from big cities and prestigious universities, which terrified her. She is grateful for her parents’ advice and says, “I was persuaded to ‘keep trying’ and make regular, persistent efforts.” Being an engineer, she became a human resource professional with a passion for human psychology.

With her early schooling being in a small-town vernacular medium school and with her reclusive nature, her communication skills weren’t her strongest suit. The journey was not easy but even in the face of uncertainties, she looked at her options rather than her limitations, and that’s how she reached where she is today.

She further reveals, ” I kept continuing with continuous and relentless efforts and now I take tremendous delight in encouraging others to explore the almost infinite unexplored possibilities.”

My expertise lies in HR Strategy, business partnering, changing management, productivity improvement, and creating a high-performing yet human culture where empowerment and accountability go hand in hand. She is also a TEDx speaker and has recently launched a book called “The Power of Connections!”

Enroute her Professional Path

When asked about her professional path, she says she works with the principle of achieving her highest potential and helping others do the same.

In her role as an HR professional, she supports people and organisations, creating unlimited possibilities for them. Gauri defines her definition of success by saying, “Success for me is defined by helping people in having fulfilling careers and supporting organisations with great talent so that goals of both sides are achieved.”

Milestone to Abide

While giving an insight into her professional milestone, she depicts her personal opinion by saying, “When you approach people with the right intent and support them, they start following you as they know you are there to do good for them.” She further continues by stating many would have followers, although one is a leader in the true sense only if one can lead them with positive intent.

She states her personal beliefs this way, “I believe in leading by example and not preaching. Most of my thoughts are around how I overcame challenges in my life, and I share the practices and habits that helped me.” These practices can be tweaked/ customized and used by people according to their requirements. These things make it relatable for people, and they connect with them as humans. Also, describing the importance of one of the most important values, she says, “Respect, and when you respect people and value them, they are there for you.”

Roadblocks On the Way

Gauri depicts her early days before she even became an engineer, she had a lack of knowledge of English, shyness, and poor communication skills were some of the challenges she faced. She overcame them with effort and the support of her managers, mentors and untiring efforts.

She sheds light on observational learning, which plays an important role in her learning journey. Once she became aware of her strengths and areas for improvement, she relentlessly worked on them.

Words of Wisdom

While advising students, Gauri mentions that her mantra is to work with passion and compassion. She further gives her specialised message to students. She strongly emphasises embracing a growth mentality and seeing failures and errors as learning opportunities. Her predominant emphasis is on SAY; elaborating on it, she states,

“S: Self-Leadership: Take control of your life through self-leadership. Who will do it for you if you don’t do that?

In her opinion, self-awareness, self-acceptance, and self-development are the foundations of self-leadership.

A: Adopt fresh mental models. Keep an open mind so you can pick up new skills. Get out of your comfort zone and connect with people outside your field of work. This method will enable you to view words differently and inclusively.

Y: Power of NOT YET. Keep in mind that life is a learning process, and if you have goals you want to achieve but haven’t yet achieved, it just takes time and focused practice. Keep working hard, and you’ll be there shortly.”

Some of her achievements include: