Karma and Creativity-ITNEXT

"The thought of doing something new,innovative and the best in everything is what keeps me motivated,” Jatinder Aggarwal

By Jatinder Singh | 25 February 2011

A staunch believer in both God and the power of good karma, Jatinder Aggarwal, Project Manager at HCL Technologies lays emphasis on making quick decisions, even in crises situations. To him, time is one of the most precious elements of life, and ensuring delivery on schedule, a priority.

In a complex world, where chasing goals is often treated as a primary obligation, Aggarwal sees no substantial value in achieving a high without the blessings of friends and family. “Success should be measured in every aspect of life, including social respect, professional growth, friends and family. There is no excitement in holding a trophy if you are standing alone, with no family or friends in your side to celebrate that magical moment of success,” he asserts.Measure your success in every aspect of life, including social respect, professional growth, friends and family

It was his passion for work and good people management skills that led this Next100 winner to where he is at today. Nevertheless, the journey so far, has not been without its challenges.
“I have always come across challenges in every assignment I have done. But building an online interface for Citibank’s Trade Finance System with an OLECA System using the MQ Series in 2002-03 is the one I will always remember,” he says.

Since no one in the team of 100+ associates had ever worked on the MQ Series before, and the organisation did not have the budget, to train the IT team, it was quite a big challenge to understand the technology without any help. “I read nearly five books on it, and implemented it end-to-end, starting from the requirements to making the implementation successful,” Aggarwal recalls.

Among the new technologies around, cloud computing excites him. “It’s a combination of many technologies that have evolved recently. I feel over a period of time the way we use software and hardware is going to change dramatically. And concepts like HaaS and SaaS will be more popular in the future, especially for SMEs,” he predicts.

But it’s not just work that keeps him busy for hours, he also devotes an equal amount of quality time to family get-togethers and partying with friends on weekends. Going forward, this creative Project Manager intends to become an entrepreneur one day. He draws inspiration from the likes of Mukesh Ambani, Sunil Mittal, Bill Gates and Steve Jobs. Hard work, for him, is the only way to accomplishing a dream. He believes that the daily grind gets a person polished.

The thought of doing something new, innovative and the best in everything keeps him motivated. “Every time I achieve one target I define another goal for myself and keep raising the bar,” he states. According to him, understanding various IT delivery models, having a clear business roadmap and excellent people management skills are the key ingredients for a successful IT Manager.

However, he doesn’t place much importance on fancy designations, or even being labelled as a CIO. “After a while, nobody actually cares whether you are the skipper or the wicketkeeper, it’s your performance on the field that counts. I am quite happy to have a no designation but more responsibilities, new challenges, and a free hand to drive the business as a mentor,” he says with candour.