Polishing the Diamond
“Surajit, I need to see you in my room after lunch. Don’t be late.” ordered General Jatar, the Chairman & Managing Director of Oil India Pte Limited. Surajit was merely a junior geologist, what possible reason would the CMD want to see him for? His mind started racing, as he went through all the different possibilities of what the General would have to tell him or ask him to do. “Did he find about the time I didn’t submit my daily reports on time? Is my work not good enough anymore?” Instead of having an optimistic attitude about meeting the CMD, he was rather pessimistic as he was anxiously watched the clock tick away.
As the clock approached 1:30, Surajit opened the doors and was already in awe, by the sheer size of the office. He recalls, “it was like the Taj Mahal, filled with paintings, and couches. I’d never seen anything like this in my life before.”
“May I take a seat?" asked Surajit as he nervously pulled out a chair under him.
“Yes, go ahead. Surajit, you are one of the most exceptional people I’ve ever met. For this reason, I would like to offer you the position of Project Director at Thar Oil Desert Project in Rajasthan, India," explained General Jatar.
Surajit sighed in relief, after knowing that he’s not in any form of trouble, but he wasn’t that excited either. One would expect him to be ecstatic as he got a huge promotion, but the fact that it was at the notorious Thar Desert made him a little apprehensive to take the job. Thar desert was the type of thing that everyone made rumors, but nobody actually knew much about. Like everyone else in the office at that time, Surajit knew that the Thar Desert had one of the harshest working conditions in India. At temperatures averaging around 45 degrees celsius, along with sand storms and poor visibility, Thar Desert wasn't a place where anyone wanted to spend their lives in (McGinley). Not to mention, Surajit was in his early 30’s and had a 6-month old baby at home. He knew if he were to move to the Thar Desert, Surajit would have to leave his son and wife back in Jorhat, Assam, and would have to struggle through the harsh living conditions on his own; he also knew that taking this job would be a life changer for both him and his family.
After a significantly long and awkward pause, where Surajit weighed out his options, he replied, “It is my duty to serve my family, my company, and my nation. I will take the job, sir.”
“Great Job Surajit," congratulated General Jatar as he was very overwhelmed to have Surajit onboard.
Later on, when Surajit went to Rajasthan, he established a definitive plan to execute the project effectively and expeditiously. Over the adverse conditions, Surajit worked with great enthusiasm and zeal which brought the project to completion in less than the target period of 36 months. Because of this, he was immediately recognised as a potential candidate for a senior corporate role in the organisation. If Surajit had not seized this opportunity, then he wouldn’t have been able to show his potential and climb up the corporate ladder. Surajit was provided with an opportunity for greatness, and he willingly took it. Had he not taken this job, Surajit would have easily been an average employee who made just enough to feed his family. He might’ve never gotten an opportunity like this again, and would’ve never ended up being the CMD of one of India’s largest oil companies.