Trivikram Prasad - Man of words & actions

It was joyous moment for me when I was called by Harsha to convey the news that I have been offered a job at Intel. It was a dream come true. This happiness did not last long when he told me that im going to working for the Planning team. I was then an intern with the Knowledge Management team. I loved this team so much that I felt more sad when I knew that I not was going to be a part of that team. The HR informed me that the manager of the Planning team, Mr.Trivikram Prasad wanted to hand over the offer to me personally. My first meeting with Trivikram Prasad did not create a very great impression abt him in me. Little did I know at that time this person will impact my career and life in numerous ways. June 14, 2004, I stepped into Intel as a proud employee. The Planning team then had 11 people including me. I was allotted to a project along with one more of my senior team mate for which the clients were in US. For about 6 months or so, I was trying to learn the project as much as I can so that in due course of time I ll be able to handle it independently cos my partner was supposed to move out of the project once im able to handle everything myself. Lot of motivation and support from Triv made me learn everything at a quick pace. It was then time for me to manage the project independently. To give a brief outline of the project and its ppl, the team consisted of couple of project managers, customers from the US and a sole developer, myself, from India. It was a support and maintenance kind of project where in there are bug fixes and enhancements that are needed to be done on a continuous basis. This project catered to the needs for a R&D site, and so the enhancements demanded were more than expected. Working in this project for abt 1.5 yrs was a nightmare for me. My works normally starts every day at abt 8pm and goes till 2 or 3 in the morning. Since I was the sole being in India and rest of the team worked from US, I was always the scape goat to work during odd hours. Its not easy for anyone to work during those time everyday. But then it was possible for me and that’s b cos of the motivation that I got from Triv. He was a person who could encourage people with his pleasant words. He considers his team to be his family and makes sure that the family runs smooth. Quoting his words “You know what..if there's an attack on me, i dont really give a damn..but I consider this team to be my family and when we get unduly hit, it riles me. i can get really nasty”. The first time I escalated the concerns I had in working with the project team, he made sure he escalated it to the people concerned to work out on a solution for that. This line of his hit me badly and I realized that I have to put in my best efforts not to earn recognitions from people over the team but to make Triv feel that I did my best. Since then what mattered to me most was how my work made an impact on Triv in a positive manner. There are times when I have told him that he is the best manager I have ever worked and he says very meekly “Im doing my job”. His humility and interpersonal style is a genuine pleasure to work for him.
There were few of his words/lines which had a great influence on me and made me do my best. Its just not about work. If those words are taken to heart, im sure it ll help anyone to deal with anything in life. Quoting few of them here, “ give them hell,you have my full support”;” we got to break up each problem for americans..and give it one at a time..wait for them to understand and then move on”;” you will be the stronger for this experience..believe me i have dealt with worse people in Intel, each experience helps you come out wiser and stronger. Always try not to let it affect your personal life or emotion..after all its just work. End of the day..your life is more important..this is just a job. its not easy to separate out.. i got the hang of it after many years. take it easy..dont let it get to you. put both your hands on your shoulders, stretch your hands up and breathe out saying 'Let go' “ . “Great job on the reporting out of the issue today. Everyone (who matters) was impressed . That's all it is...a little goes a long way. Remember its not how much time you put in, but what you deliver that matters. Now you know how to present info in a way they can understand so it'll make working with them much easier” Who would not be motivated with such words ? I became an ardent admirer of Triv as days passed by. There are so many things to learn from him, not only as a manager at work but also as a person. At work, he is so flexible to adjust or extend his work timings and he is always available when ever I needed his expert assistance. When ever I needed his help to speak to the higher managers he always guided me on how to express the concerns to them in a way that would lead to right solutions. The way he explains to me “Let him know the limitations in an objective manner rather than make it look like you are complaining” . This way he made me learn how to speak to people constructively. One best thing that I have noticed about him is that he doesn’t maintain “Im ur manager, u r my employee” kind of relationship. He treats everyone equally. He is such a fun loving person. His sense of humor coupled with his presence of mind can take u off to a world of happiness forgetting all ur worries and miseries. Team quarterlies, team dinners, Friday lunches, movies were joyous moments with Triv. But this happiness did not last long. It was a shock and surprise for every one of us in our team when we heard from Triv that he is planning to quit intel. Although I knew that it is for his good, feeling of missing such a nice manager made me feel very upset. I consider myself to be very unfortunate to have not been able to work for him for a long time. But I still deem it a great privilege to have worked with him for nearly 3 years. Every day, every minute spent with Triv is something I ll always treasure throughout my lifetime. It was a great lerning experience. Professionally and personally I could see his words and actions influenced me a lot. Its said that, there ll be many people who ll influence ur life in more than one way. Yes, Triv is one such person who has made a difference in my life in a very positive way. Im very grateful to him for all his motivation and support. If not for him, im sure I would nt be here in Intel sitting peacefully and writing few lines about him :) :)