sangeeta chopra

Educator/Teacher, Parent, Writer/Editor

I am Dr. Sangeeta Chopra, with 20 years of experience in academic domain. I am into research, writing, training and teaching. My subjects are Human resource management, Organisation Behaviour, Communication, Behaivoural Sciences and Organisation Development. I also conduct Training Programmes. My career commenced with a brief stint in the industry in Corporate HR, offering me insight of corporate and plant level 'personnel' activities. By virtue of my subjects, the area I am immersed in, I am disposed to analysing human behaviour and also inclined to seeing it in the totality of universe, with a view to understanding how human beings fit in the cosmos, how they contribute and how they feel worthwhile, happy and joyous. My education is in business management, I specialised in Human Resource Management, I did Post graduate diploma in Training and development, earning a silver medal in the country, in the batch. My doctoral work is on 'Variable Compensation' and I am further writing research papers on this, connecting with other researchers worldwide. In my academic career, I have been Dean -Academics, Dean - Research, and I have handled Bachelor's degree programmes in partnership with University of Bradford. I have also been involved in accreditation work related to SAQS, and EPAS. This has sharpened my knack for being meticulous, quality conscious and having an eye for detail. I have also been involved with the UNGC (United Nations Global Network), wherein I compiled a detailed Progress report (called the SIP ) for the Institute, covering all initiatives by the School towards promoting sustainability, 'Eco-friendly' sentiment etc. In my previous school, I was a key member of the team holding the TED event, wherein I had the privilege of anchoring it. I currently teach subjects 'Communication' and HR related subjects. On a personal front I feel deeply about carving a 'Sense of Individuality', a 'Sense of Self Esteem', having an Identity of one's own that truly distinguishes one from the sea of faces that abound. In my current role, I put in lot of effort training students on communication skills and I am happy to see results in students as a result of our collaborative efforts taking shape through their individual dedication. Infact, I counsel students on how to strengthen one's persona through one's communication ability, and impacting 'Self-efficacy' immeasurably. As a passion, I read books, mainly non-fiction, and largely biographies or autobiographies, as it gives excellent peep into lives of great personalities who have become legends in their domain. This also enlightened me into believing that a TED event presents the right mixture of theory, practice and more importantly the passion to drive key messages home which talks to audience in simple, direct, powerful ways.

I am passionate about my subjects that are Human resource management, Communication and Behavioural Science. All these subjects intersect at the common point 'Human Behaviour' and this deeply interests me. Further, I am passionate about actually impacting human behaviour through my sessions, through the training programmes I conduct and through my counselling sessions with students. I am really passionate about seeing individuals change for the better and all the more so when it comes from their inner energy unleashed by higher level of confidence in self and an enhanced sense of self-efficacy. My teaching has been vast, in related fields though, such as ethics, values, corporate social responsibility, power and influence, managerial skills, performance management, organisation behaviour, Human resource management, Communication - all of which deeply sensitized me to the need for reform at a very individual level. I even taught 'Transformation of work' with backing of a rather complex theoretical framework which widened my horizon, as in how society moved from cottage industry to capitalistic form , then to service sector and finally to the knowledge sector , all of which brought out the not so egalitarian form of society and the need for reforms as felt from time to time to bring about improvements in character of work and work arrangements. This broadened my horizon from 'Individual' to observing the 'Society' as a larger unit. My understanding of society is further sharpened by my reading of various biographies and autobiographies of world leaders like Barrack Obama, J.F. Kennedy, Benazir Bhutto to name just a few. It brought the knowledge about how such renowned personalities withstood the struggle of their times through sheer grit, even when the going was tough and sometimes excruciating. At a personal level , I tend towards perfectionism, and this is part of the reason I feel learning can not and should not be limited to just what one studies in the classroom, but be further enhanced by reading literature and through interactions, and by learning from others' experiences. There is no limit to the boundaries of our learning.

Role of self identity, the importance of self efficacy, the critical role others play in developing 'Self concept', the vastness of one's potential and the need to build a distinctive character of one's own - these are very vital thoughts that the younger generation may certainly be feeling, but not necessarily aware of its enormity and also how to transform these ideals into reality. There is a need to articulate these. These ideals are not just in the idealistic domain, but have clear tangible manifestation in 'how employable one gets' or 'how far one gets ahead in life' or 'how much stress one can tolerate or withstand' ? There is a need for people across all age groups to understand how crucial it is to have the 'Nucleus' of an individual firmly in place, which is one's 'Sense of Individuality'. It makes a person sturdy and even willing to embrace changes in life. For instance - Today is the age of digitalisation, and this necessarily draws upon people's malleability, their ability to withstand the stress of incorporating new ways of working in their lives. These are some of the ideas that I feel need to be propagated, talked about , and impressed upon individuals, so that they can live meaningful lives that are personally satisfying and professionally rewarding. Another dimension that is important is to form meaningful relationships that are emotionally satisfying and help one sail through life peacefully, happily and effortlessly. Meeting of minds comes by no magic but by simply stepping forward, taking the initiative to hold a dialogue on mundane to intriguing subjects, to form bonds that have salubrious effect on us, leading to one's emotional well-being. This need is universal, but rarely do individuals heed it or acknowledge it as a vital requirement. Socialisation or mere exchange of ideas is the first step to form bonds in community, which accords us a benign feeling, a feeling of completeness. These are some of the ideas I feel are worth spreading. These ideas are relevant to people from all walks of life, regardless of strata,class, age and even occupation. All these converge into making life a healthier journey, built on synthesis of values, emotions, actions interfacing with society. In my career as a teacher, trainer, researcher, counsellor and coach , I found the central tenet of all successful and even less than successful people as how much grip or hold they have on themselves ie their 'Inner self'. The notion is sharply evident in the younger generation, as its presence or absence makes a sea of difference in their growth trajectory. Further, the idea that Emotional Quotient far supercedes Intelligence quotient in its scope, relevance and impact, needs to be impressed upon younger generation, more than anything. The easiest and most effective way is by means of experiential talk, coming from professionals across functions, across sectors who see the point and who have lived it themselves. I believe these ideas are relevant for the younger generation and there is need to proliferate these to trigger self-provoking thought process in the young vibrant minds.

Behavioural Sciences, Behavioural Training, Communication, Compensation Management, Human resource management, Variable Pay

My career has been rich, stimulating, exciting and full of varying experiences. It is largely in the domain of human behaviour and I found by calling in writing, in research, in communication training and largely, in meeting new people, encountering new experiences , which I believe keep me going. Above all, I enjoy reading, which gives me a broad outlook, an exposure to world's vastness. I feel if one continues striving for excellence, one's momentum is kept alive and one finds in this moving, escalating target, meaning of one's life. I believe in this philosophy and live by it. Be it training, be it teaching, be it counselling, I put my heart and soul in it, I take it as an end in itself, and this keeps my interest alive and my spirits high.

People in my community know I am good at teaching, communication and more so I have a knack for perfection in whatever task I take up. This is my guiding inspiration to be good and even better at anything I take up by my own standards . This sets in a process of constant improvement, which I believe, is the elixir of life.