From Exile to the Next Mountain Summit

Ashok Ogra

ashokogra@gmail.com

By Mountains have often been compared with life. The reason is not difficult to understand. From a distance, the summit looks inviting. Once the climb starts, the weather can change, the path can become difficult and the climber may have to stop and wait. And reaching the summit does not mean there will be no other mountain to climb.

This is the broad story behind 'The Next Mountain: Notes on Resilience, Leadership and Purpose', as told by media veteran Avinash Kaul to noted writer Priya Kumar, who in her note captures the book's central message: "My hope is that this book doesn't just tell his story but helps you write your own. Welcome to the climb. Your mountain awaits you."

Avinash has had an unusual journey. At seventeen, he was forced to leave Kashmir. Years later, he became one of the youngest CEOs in the Indian media industry. But the real story of the book lies between these two points. In his own words, it is his life story, told in an unfiltered style.

In cold January 1990, as militancy erupted in Kashmir, Avinash's father put him on a bus to Jammu. He travelled alone and initially stayed in a neighbour's garage for almost three months. His parents joined him later when his father too had to leave the Valley.

The family had lived in a large house in a decent locality in Srinagar. Suddenly that life was gone. Their belongings were looted. Several displaced members of the family had to share limited space in Jammu. Avinash stood in queues for migrant registration and relief. Continuing education was itself a struggle.

Avinash uses the term "Brownian Motion" for the unexpected events that keep changing the direction of our lives. He recalls crowded buses and trains, travelling without a reserved seat and even sleeping near train toilets.

His engineering years in Maharashtra were also difficult. Money sent from home sometimes barely covered his mess expenses.

Avinash says quite openly that becoming a CEO was never his childhood ambition. He feels that people can be driven either by the desire to succeed or by the fear of failure. He puts himself in the second category. His experience of displacement may well have added to his determination to build a more secure life.

At one stage, he was earning ?100 a day conducting surveys. After completing engineering, he joined Belliss Power Systems and worked on steam turbines. He later moved to Timex in quality control. The jobs taught him discipline and gave him some understanding of how organisations function, but he did not see his future in either of them.

He then left Timex to pursue an MBA. That changed the direction of his career. He entered advertising at HTA Fulcrum and later moved into television. Over the years, he worked with Discovery Communications, Sahara, the Times Group, NDTV and Network18.

This was also a period when Indian television was changing very quickly. Satellite television was expanding, new channels were coming up, and news television was becoming increasingly competitive. Technology, distribution and audience measurement were changing the business.

He was curious about areas outside his immediate job. He tried to understand sales, distribution, finance, technology, legal issues, human resources and satellite transmission. That wider knowledge clearly helped when he moved into senior positions.

In 2010, twelve years into his media career, Avinash became CEO of Network18 Broadcast and Publishing. He was only 37. He went on to spend nearly 16 years in CEO positions-a considerable stretch in an industry known for frequent changes.

He does not pretend that the journey was smooth. One of his more interesting comments is that if you want to know his success story, look at his LinkedIn profile; if you want to know his failure story, read the book.

Avinash also admits that there were times when he knew what he did not want without knowing what he actually wanted. That may be useful for young people to hear. Careers do not always begin with a clear destination. Sometimes one starts moving and discovers the direction along the way.

As he rises in the corporate world, the book begins to spend more time on management and leadership. He talks about preparation, focus, observation, adapting to change and dealing with people.

Some of his examples work well. He recalls an employee who had been labelled an underperformer. He moved him to another team, where the same person did very well. It is a small example, but an important one. Organisations are often quick to label people. Sometimes a person may simply be in the wrong role.

Avinash is also critical of the importance people attach to titles, office gossip and approval from others. He believes performance finally matters more than designation. He recalls being "sidelined, overridden or even cast aside" but says he preferred to get on with his work rather than fight every battle.

His distinction between those who prefer "horizontal" comfort and those seeking "vertical" growth also seems a little too definite. People have different ideas of success. Not everyone wants the next promotion or hopes to become a CEO.

The book, in fact, is more convincing when Avinash tells his own story than when he tries to turn every experience into a lesson. His displacement, financial problems, college years, career changes and setbacks already tell us a great deal about persistence. They do not always need an explanation afterwards.

The later chapters have a somewhat different tone. Having spent years climbing the corporate ladder, Avinash now looks at what happens after one reaches the top.

His expression "climb high, sleep low" makes sense here. One may rise to an important position, but one should remain grounded.

He also writes about "controlled demolition"-leaving a comfortable position and taking on a fresh challenge. This seems to have happened more than once in his own career.

There is an interesting counterpoint in the words of mountaineer Ed Viesturs: "Getting to the top is optional. Getting down is mandatory." It is a useful reminder that continuing to climb is not always the answer. Sometimes good judgement lies in knowing when to stop.

This becomes more relevant when Avinash writes about ageing, retirement and legacy.

"The climb never truly ends. It just transforms," he says.

He does not see retirement as the end of an active life. The next stage may simply involve a different kind of work. He also believes that legacy should not be measured only by positions held or achievements listed on a CV. It should make somebody else's journey a little easier. His references to his wife and children in these sections give the book a more personal touch.

He also acknowledges the part played by luck and by people who helped him. Friends supported him when money was scarce. Others gave him opportunities during his career. Hard work matters, but hardship by itself does not guarantee success. Circumstances and opportunities matter too.

Priya Kumar deserves credit for giving shape to Kaul's recollections. He narrated his experiences to her and she has brought them together into a readable account. Her journalistic background shows in the way the story moves from Kashmir to his student years, early jobs, media career and later reflections.

One line from the book stays in mind: "The tougher path? Oh, it doesn't just test you, it tutors you."

The mountain comparisons that Avinash uses throughout the book are effective. There are climbers, peaks, Sherpas, blizzards, avalanches and descents, giving the book a common theme. At times, though, one feels that the metaphor could perhaps have been used a little more sparingly.

'The Next Mountain: Notes on Resilience, Leadership and Purpose', published by HarperCollins, makes for engaging reading. As the book puts it, "It is a lesson in navigating with resilience and grit any obstacle that life and work might throw your way. Just as the right tools ensure a mountaineer's success…"

Decades after leaving Kashmir on that cold January morning, and after occupying the top position, Avinash is still looking for the next mountain. The final chapter, The Warrior Who Never Descends, contains a line that perhaps best sums up Avinash's philosophy of life: "Rising is just what I do."

Perhaps, after reading the book, one can say that for 53 year old Avinash, only the mountain has changed.

(The author works as an Advisor with Apeejay Education, New Delhi.)