THE "PERFECT" SHOW With Saurabh Saklani - An Educationist !!

What a piece of work is a man, how noble in reason, how infinite in faculties, in form and moving how express and admirable, in action how like an angel, in apprehension how like a god! the beauty of the world, the paragon of animals—and yet, to me, what is this quintessence of dust? Man delights not me— nor woman neither, though by your smiling you seem to say so.

- Hamlet

Here we go with another edition of PERFECT Show. This time we have with us a third generation entrepreneur Saurabh Saklani, a co-founder of Exper Executive Education (www.exper.in) that creates and facilitates learning on self-development, working with others, and leading organizations.



A former Silicon Valley entrepreneur, he has an MBA from INSEAD, France. Saurabh helped implement a global mentoring program for young entrepreneurs at The Indus Entrepreneurs (TiE) in California and wrote a popular book called 'What Teens Need But Can't Quite Say' (Rupa). Saurabh plays competitive squash, golf, and writes poetry.

TPS - The PERFECT SHOW.

Host : PS : Prashant Sree
Guest: SS : Saurabh Saklani

PS: Hi Saurabh,Welcome to the PERFECT Show... Its a honor to have you in the Show.
SS: Thanks Prashant. The pleasure's mine too.

PS: Can you tell us what are you passionate about in Life ?
SS: Self-Development & Reflecting on Human Behavior. I constantly want to learn and grow by sharing new ideas, revising them, testing them, and finally developing them further. I look at the Boeing 747 and marvel at the fact that human kind has developed the ability to safely fly 500 people and their luggage from one end of the globe to another. This ability has been built up over time by the learning and growth of millions (or billions) of individuals over the centuries.

Thoughts like these have made me focus both on self to see how I can develop as an individual to contribute more to the lives of those I interact with and also reflect upon what motivates, excites, and sustains other people. Alexander Pope said it best for me when he wrote "the proper study of mankind is man." In many ways, this passion feeds in wonderfully in my chosen line of work (people and organizational development).

PS: Thats a amazing attitude to have towards life... Iam sure you must have had a good amount of learnings as well. Can you share some of your important learnings ( other than academics) with us ?
SS: Develop Mentors, Listen well, and be Humble. Developing a set of key mentors who help you think through your growth is a gift from God. A mentor does not hijack the relationship and is more of a sounding board who can help bring clarity in the mind of the mentee. Poor listening ails most of us but a simple attempt to curb the urge to interrupt will yield great benefits in terms of better understanding, better information, and better response from the good listener. Humbleness will ensure that people around you do not hesitate to participate in your learning. Humbleness is almost a pre-requisite for personal growth.

Give every man thy ear, but few thy voice.

William Shakespeare

PS: Thanks Saurabh,that's a new learning for me as well. :) Now if you are given a wish to change one thing in world, what would you change ?
SS: Appreciation of Differences. How we learn is different, how we view situations varies, how we think and act is a product of our personal paradigms and our experiences. If there could be a greater degree of appreciation and acceptance of such differences then merely viewing differences as uniqueness can lead better understanding of one another. Frankly, the world's current problems are nothing but a derivative of not being able to appreciate and accept each others' uniqueness.

PS: Very true.,. In today world's context, this holds true to a large extent. Moving on to something mythical,who is your favorite Mythological Hero and why ?
SS: Hanuman ji for his undying commitment to all those he loved and respected.

PS: Had you plans to remain a bachelor ;). Just kidding.,. Hanuman is an epitome of loyalty and courageousness. Moving on to the next question,What would you like to stand for in your life ?
SS: Honesty, Clarity, & Support. Honesty towards self , Clarity to help others, and Supporting those around us. That way, everyone is taken care of!

PS: Impressive !! Hats off to you for having such worthy ideals . What do you consider your charm ?
SS:A soft core surrounded by a set of important beliefs about family & life, and some non-negotiable values. I feel that people respect the fact that I do not hesitate to take major decisions, which may be considered conventionally foolish, for the sake of enhancing and supporting my family emotionally. And I also hear that my smile works well!

PS: Smile smiles more luck on anyone who uses it as his weapon... :) I assume you have used it well !! Now,your Thumb Rule for Life ?
SS: When in doubt, check with your heart. The answer lies there as you cannot honestly fool yourself (though many of us try!). Shakespeare's immortal line, "above all else, to thine own self be true," has been my number one thumb rule ever since I appreciated the meaning of this line on realizing that my making excuses for my errors had begun affecting my growth.

PS: Nice one.,. Who have been your role models in your life and why ?
SS: My parents Ramesh & Ansuya Saklani for their confidence in me and the balance of support & freedom they provided me over the years. My uncle, Dr. Kailash C. Joshi for his sustained intellectual honesty & social sensitivity, and my colleague Brigadier Trigunesh Mukherjee AVSM for his life-long commitment to nurturing relationships.


PS: Which books have had a great influence in your thoughts ?
SS: Most of Shakespeare & the classic romantic poets,Covey's '7 Habits.'

PS: Great !! What are your Favorite quotes ?

SS: Shakespeare, "Above all else to thine own self be true."

Churchill, "When you are going through hell, keep going."

PS: Interesting quotes.,. :) Thats it, Saurabh. We have come to the end of the Show. I thank you on behalf of the readers for sharing your learnings and your viewpoints with us. Wish you Smiling Fortune for days to come :)
SS: Thank you and wish you the Same.

I shall the effect of this good lesson keeps as watchman to my heart.

William Shakespeare

Saurabh has the following blogs:

• Entrepreneurial Leadership: http://entleadership.blogspot.com/
• Sak's Random Thoughts: http://ssaklani.blogspot.com/
• What Teens Need But Can't Quite Say: http://whatteensneed.blogspot.com/
• Exper Executive Education: http://www.exper.in/
• Catalyst India: http://www.exper.in/catalyst/